


Incendio

by savya398



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Dragon Harry, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-12
Updated: 2017-06-26
Packaged: 2018-03-01 05:31:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 70,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2761430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/savya398/pseuds/savya398
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Smaug lost his son to orcs years before taking Erebor. In another world Harry Potter is experiencing some strange changes while attempting to compete in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. But how could the two possibly be related?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: Of Fire and Rage

**Author's Note:**

> This is the prologue of what will be a two part story. The first part should be up soon as it is almost finished.

Smaug closely watched over his young drakeling as the small firedrake scampered about in the respectable pile of gold that made up Smaug's hoard. Smaug hoped to one day gather a greater hoard but for now Smaug was still a relatively young dragon, and the hoard he possessed was a decent size for his age. There were many more powerful than himself out there, no matter how much the thought rankled Smaug, and so for now the small cave and hoard that he possessed was all he would be capable of protecting and sustaining.

Smaug's unending desire for more had also been tempered with the hatching of Smaug's first and so far only offspring. It was rare that a male fire-drake would take up the position of raising their offspring but Smaug had very little choice in accepting the care of his hatchling.

His drakeling's dam had been one of the last living daughters of Ancalagon the Black. All winged fire-drakes were said to be descendants of Ancalagon in some way but Ancia held a direct link to the mightiest of dragons as one of his few surviving children, if not the last all together. The much older female dragon had taken an interest in Smaug's glorious red and gold scales, which closely resembled living flames especially once in the sun. Smaug knew his scales were stunning and unparalleled in beauty yet he had still but utterly shocked and flattered when the much older and more powerful female had shown an interest in him, a fire-drake who had just newly come of age.

Smaug was fairly certain that Ancia had never intended her dalliances with Smaug to lead to offspring. Her leaving their egg at the entrance to Smaug's den gave Smaug the distinct impression she wanted nothing further to do with him or their offspring. No doubt she had not smashed it simply for the fact that dragons so rarely produced offspring. She would have at least wanted to give the egg some sort of chance at actually surviving. By giving it to Smaug she had dissolved herself of the responsibility of making the decision of whether their offspring lived or died. No, she had firmly passed that burden over to Smaug.

The decision was difficult for Smaug. He didn't feel particularly paternal. However, the egg had been his, and Smaug was nothing if not utterly possessive of his things. The egg would hatch to become Smaug's offspring, and Smaug was vain enough to want to ensure the continuation of his line especially when tied so closely to that of Ancalagon.

In the end, despite the hassle it would be, Smaug had decided to keep his offspring. He had guarded his egg, and kept it properly heated by blowing a constant stream of flames over the egg. Smaug was proud when he managed to take proper care of his egg, which allowed it to finally hatch. Smaug had been pleasantly surprised when his small, perfectly formed hatchling had emerged from its shell. The little drakeling was male with pure black scales like his dam and grandsire. But his fiery gold eyes were identical to Smaug's own. The general shape of his head and body was also similar to Smaug despite his glittering ebony scales.

Smaug had named him Ancal in a moment of nostalgia for Ancia, and to honor his grandsire. It soon turned out that his decision to keep Ancal had been one of the best decisions he'd ever made. Smaug enjoyed having his drakeling running about his den, and sharing all of his knowledge with him. Smaug could mold his drakeling into becoming whatever he wished him to be. He enjoyed seeing a reflection of himself in the small firedrake, and hoped that one day his hatchling would grow up to be one of the most powerful dragons in all of Arda.

Smaug affectionately nuzzled his drakeling. The little black hatchling chirped in surprise at being startled from his play, and then turned to playfully pounce on Smaug's nose. Smaug reared back and feigned hurt to boost his little drakeling's confidence in his attacking skills. Ancal, at a little under a decade old, was still too young to learn how to speak properly but he understood Smaug's words, and was becoming more advanced by the day. Ancal could communicate simple things through growls and chirps, and had recently become capable of calling Smaug sire, which thrilled Smaug to no end. The little drakeling spent most of his time playing, sleeping, and eating, which in truth wasn't all that different from an adult dragon. Smaug loved to whisper the tales of old to his son while he drifted off to sleep.

Smaug played with his son for a bit. He twitched his long tail, and Ancal chased it around doing his best to pounce on it. Before long his hatchling grew tired and he curled up at Smaug's side to sleep. Smaug took the chance to tell his son a tale of his own deeds while he drifted off to dream. Once Ancal was asleep, Smaug settled down to sleep for a bit as well.

The horrid scent of orc woke Smaug from his light doze. The mere thought of orcs this close to his hoard and hatchling had Smaug seething. He hid his drakeling safely within his pile of gold before storming out to investigate why a troop of orcs had ventured so close to his home, hoard, and offspring. To his shock and rage there was a small army of orcs laid out before his den, they had even brought rock catapults. It was obvious they had come with the intention of defeating Smaug. He would show them how very wrong they were. Smaug quickly took to the sky to gain a better advantage over the orcs, and set them alight. His fire stirred in his breast, and he let it loose upon the stinking orcs. Smaug hated the loathsome creatures, and he would burn their stench out of existence.

It was an arduous process but eventually Smaug prevailed against his intruders. It took him awhile because every time he thought he had finally bested them more seemed to swarm out of the cracks in the rocks. By the end he was exhausted and sore. His scaled hide was strong, nigh impenetrable, but the rocks the orcs had tossed at him had hit with enough force to bruise. Smaug would heal quickly but for now he would need to rest for a bit to ease the aches and pains.

Smaug quickly made his way back into his den. Panic overtook him when he caught wind of the strong scent of orc is his caves. It was too strong to have drifted in from outside. Orcs had managed to sneak past him into his den. Enraged Smaug sprinted through the tunnels to the center of his hoard. What he found there whipped him into a fury he had never felt before. His gold and gems were scattered everywhere from a great struggle but for once Smaug did not care. His drakeling was gone, and the stench of orc and his drakeling's fear permeating the air left a dark pain inside his heart.

Smaug roared and roared. Flames engulfed his cavern, melting stone and gold alike as Smaug breathed flame for as long as he was capable to burn away the stench of orc. With some of his fury spent Smaug went after the orcs who had stolen his hatchling in hopes of catching up to them. But he could not find them. Their path was nearly untraceable and zigzagged every which way. Their party broke off into smaller groups, and Smaug wasted days by following the wrong ones, deceived by false scents. Smaug would have never believed orcs intelligent enough to saturate cloth with his son's scent to lead Smaug astray. In the end Smaug had to stop his search. He had reached the point of near exhaustion, and if he pushed himself any further he would have surely died.

He took up the search after some rest but the trail had gone cold. There was no other choice but to concede defeat, something Smaug loathed with all his being especially with the loss of his drakeling. Smaug returned to his den, and remained there for years, wallowing in his own self-pity and loneliness. He never before realized just how lonely he truly was until he lost his hatchling. Ancal had brought light and happiness into his life but now he had nothing. Smaug clung to the comfort of his gold more fervently, and soon he grew obsessed. Any kindness he had once possessed fled, and Smaug became a dangerous, and deadly beast. Time passed and Smaug grew larger and stronger, and became more powerful. His strength and aggression allowed him to live long past the others of his kind, and soon he was one of the last great firedrakes.

When news came to Smaug of the dwarves in Erebor, and the great wealth they had amassed Smaug wasted no time in taking wing towards the dwarves and their mountain. It was a simple matter for Smaug to displace the dwarves, and send them from their home. The vast amount of wealth within the Lonely Mountain was enough to dull the aching loneliness inside Smaug, and so he remained, surrounded by the piles and piles of gold sleeping his life away.


	2. Yer a Dragon, Harry. .. Wait, What?

Harry Potter took a deep breath as he waited for the signal. The signal that would let him know when it was his turn to go out and risk his life in front of a crowd of people. Today was the First Task. Today was the day that Harry would have to face a real life, fire-breathing dragon. Of course in the First Task they just had to be going up against one of the deadliest creatures the wizarding world had to offer. It didn’t bode well for the remaining two tasks. Harry had long given up that his life would ever be normal but it seemed that this year was trying to blow all of his expectations out of the water. So far this year he’d been unwillingly entered into some dangerous tournament, had the school turn against him because of it, and now he had to compete in three deadly tasks for eternal glory he wanted nothing to do with. Harry’s life was complicated enough with Voldemort constantly coming after him. He didn’t really need the added stress this tournament was giving him.

Harry ran through the plan he’d come up with. It wasn’t exactly full proof but Harry supposed that it would have to do. Harry was only a fourth year, and though his experiences had probably made him a bit more capable in life or death situations than the average fourth year, he was still far behind the other contestants. Planning had never been one of his strong suits either. Moody was the one who eventually suggested that he focus on the skills he did best. Harry’s mind had instantly latched on to flying. Harry had always been a brilliant flyer. From the very first moment he had picked up a broom, it was like he’d been born to soar through the air. For the plan to actually work Harry would just need to make sure that he lasted long enough against the dragon for his broom to reach him.

The horn blasted. It was time. Before Harry could second-guess himself he took a step out into the arena. The Quidditch pitch had been transformed for the task. It was covered with rocks and outcroppings to hide behind. In the center was the dragon itself. Of course Harry had to get the fiercest dragon, the Hungarian Horntail. The dragon was a brownish red color with rows of spikes. It had been chained to the ground, and there between its legs, in its nest was the golden egg that Harry had been tasked to get.

The moment the dragon caught sight of Harry it… Well, Harry didn’t quite know how to label its reaction other than it looked… scared. The dragon reared back from Harry, and curled itself protectively over its eggs. The reaction surprised Harry so much that he momentarily forgot his plan. His mind was racing with other instances where magical animals had strange reactions to him.

Harry remembered Norbert’s, the baby dragon that Hagrid had gotten his hands on in first year, reaction to first seeing him. Harry had written it off as a fluke the way the baby dragon had scuttled away from him like he was diseased when he had moved closer to inspect him. Then there had been the basilisk in his second year. When Tom Riddle had sent the basilisk after Harry the basilisk had hesitated. He’d held back and hissed something about Harry concealing fire inside him. The ancient basilisk had been frightened saying Harry smelled mostly human but that there was something more to him as well. Riddle had to scream and threaten before the basilisk finally worked up the courage to go after Harry. With everything that had happened after that Harry never really spent a lot of time thinking just why the basilisk had been so wary of him.

Until now, when the Horntail’s extreme reaction brought up the memories of other creature’s reacting negatively to him. The crowd seemed to be equally shocked by the dragon’s strange behavior. Harry was thrown off. He completely forgot all about calling for his broom. He was too caught up in memories of other such instances, and so he continued to stand in the middle of the arena perfectly accessible to the dragon.

The dragon gathered its courage when Harry continued to remain motionless and unthreatening in front of her. She reared up, and sent a fiery blast of flame straight at Harry. Harry attempted to jump out of the way but his shock had slowed his reaction time, and he didn’t have time to escape the blast. The flames hit him full force. But he didn’t burn. The flames passed over him, and instead of experiencing a fiery death Harry was only engulfed by a tingling sensation. The crowd started screaming as soon as Harry was consumed in flames. No doubt they thought they had just witnessed their boy savior’s death via dragon fire. His clothes were burning but Harry himself felt absolutely fine, and he watched detachedly as the fire licked at his skin without causing a bit of damage. The flames were almost comforting.

A roaring had started in his ears and it distracted him enough that he almost didn’t notice that the flames had stopped. He could see people running towards him but he suddenly felt dizzy. The world was spinning around him, and his skin suddenly felt uncomfortably tight. He swayed on his feet and before he knew what was happening the world went dark as he fainted dead away.

///

Harry woke to the sound of arguing, feeling disoriented and strange.

“I don’t know what’s wrong or how he survived. I only know that right now his temperature is getting higher by the minute. I’ve tried fever reducer but it doesn’t do a thing. His fever just keeps rising. He should already be dead with a temperature that high, not to mention he just survived a full blast of dragon fire,” Madam Pomfrey ranted.

“Will he wake up?” asked the concerned voice of Albus Dumbledore, his headmaster.

“I have no idea. He shouldn’t, his brain should practically be melting out his ears with the temperature he’s got. But as far as I can tell he’s just sleeping as if he shouldn’t be boiling alive. I swear I don’t know how that boy does it. In fact I remember he had a high fever after his run in down in the Chamber. It went away soon enough,” Madam Pomfrey answered sounding completely perplexed.

“Yes, but as I told you it was from the infusion of Phoenix tears after the basilisk venom,” Dumbledore reminded.

“So you said. Perhaps that’s how he survived? Could the Phoenix tears have given him an invulnerability to fire?” Madam Pomfrey questioned.

“No, they heal only the current wound. There should have been no long lasting effects,” Dumbledore answered.

“What about his magic? Could accidental magic have protected him? He’s always had strong and wild accidental magic. Just last summer he set his muggle aunt’s hair on fire,” Minerva McGonagall, his transfiguration professor, offered.

“I doubt it. Dragon fire isn’t just something that can be blocked. It has unique properties that allows it to break through most shielding charms. Which is why you need to master a variety of different and complex shield charms before you can even think of becoming a dragon handler,” Madam Pomfrey pointed out.

“Even if Mr. Potter’s magic shielded him from harm it certainly wouldn’t explain his sudden increase in temperature or how he is currently surviving such a high temperature,” came the oily voice of his hated potions professor, Severus Snape.

“Severus is right. Something else is at work here. I just don’t know what it could be,” Madam Pomfrey’s tone conveyed her frustration over the matter.

The professors subsided into silence each trying to come up with an explanation of how Harry could have possibly survived the impossible yet again. Harry decided that now would be a good time to stop pretending to be asleep. He sat up, immediately drawing the attention of the four adults in the room. Madam Pomfrey quickly made her way over to his bedside

“Mr. Potter, thank Merlin, you’re awake. How are you—”

Madam Pomfrey cut off abruptly, lifting a hand to her mouth as she looked at Harry or more specifically his eyes. “Oh my.”

“What? What’s wrong?” Harry frowned up her. Only to suddenly realize he was seeing everything in perfect detail, and he wasn’t wearing his glasses.

The other professors had drawn close, and they too were all staring at Harry’s eyes in various states of shock.

“Oh, Mr. Potter,” Professor McGonagall whispered.

“What’s wrong with my eyes?” Harry demanded.

In answer Dumbledore transfigured a glass by his bedside into a small hand mirror. He wordlessly handed the transfigured mirror to Harry. Harry eagerly took it and stared at his own reflection. What he saw made him understand just why everyone was so unnerved. His once emerald green eyes where now a golden yellow with a fiery red just around the edge of his iris, which had expanded to completely overtake the whites of his eyes. His pupils had stretched to become an elongated diamond-like shape. It was quite disturbing looking into a mirror, and realizing those were his eyes.

“How did this happen?” Harry murmured.

Tentatively he rubbed at his eyes as if that could somehow return the color to his much more normal green. Unfortunately it didn’t.

The adults all exchanged looks. They obviously had no explanation of the matter either.

“Poppy why don’t you give Harry every test you can think of. There must be some explanation for this sudden change,” Dumbledore suggested.

With no other options Madam Pomfrey did just that. The professors left Harry in Madam Pomfrey’s capable hands. Over the next hour she conducted every test she knew from her medi-witch training. She couldn’t find a single thing wrong with him. Except of course that his temperature, though stabilized, was far above normal, and his eyes were now a different color. In fact her scans showed that he was in perfect health, more than perfect health if such a thing was possible. His reflexes were faster than before, he was stronger than was strictly normal for a human, and his eyesight was better than before. Despite being blasted with dragon fire he didn’t have a mark on him.

Madam Pomfrey kept him in the hospital wing overnight just in case his condition changed. No one was allowed to visit him either. They had all agreed it was better if no one found out about the change in his eyes. It would be all Harry needed to have Rita Skeeter write an article about this. But the ban couldn’t stop his friends. Later that night Hermione and Ron, to Harry’s surprise, appeared in the hospital wing having used his invisibility cloak to sneak in while Madam Pomfrey had gone off to discuss the results of his condition with the other professors, and the tournament officials. They had to decide how to proceed considering that Harry didn’t actually complete the First Task. Harry hoped that he would be disqualified for failing to retrieve the egg.

“Harry! You’re all right?” Hermione had tears in her eyes as she gazed at him. She looked like she wanted to hug him but she was afraid she might hurt him.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Harry shrugged, glancing at Ron.

The red head had hung back while Hermione had rushed to greet him.

“We thought for certain you had…that you were seriously hurt,” Hermione worried, looking him over closely for burns.

Neither had noticed the change in his eyes yet. Mostly because Hermione was too busy looking him over and Ron was still standing awkwardly in the doorway.

“I’m not hurt. They don’t know how I survived yet, but I’m not burned at all,” Harry reassured her.

“That’s good that you’re all right. Although, it is a bit strange and worrying not knowing how you survived,” Hermione murmured finally looking up to his face.

“Tell me about it,” Harry agreed.

Hermione’s eyes had widened comically. She’d finally caught sight of his eyes.

“I’m glad you’re all right, mate,” Ron spoke up. 

“So we’re mates again?” Harry questioned, ignoring Hermione’s stare.

“I figured anyone who willingly put their name in that goblet would have to be crazy. I know you’re not that crazy, Harry, and I’m sorry I ever thought you’d willingly put yourself into trouble like that. You could have died today, and I’ve been a prat. I’ll try not to be such a big idiot again,” Ron shrugged, looking uncomfortable.

“Apology accepted,” Harry nodded, happy to have his best friend back.

Ron grinned in relief and finally approached his bedside.

“Harry, what happened to your eyes?” Hermione finally cut in.

“Bloody hell, mate,” Ron gasped as he caught his first look.

“They don’t know that either. On the bright side I don’t need to wear my glasses anymore,” Harry smiled, trying for nonchalance.

Hermione was looking more worried than ever.

“I’ve never seen eyes like that before. They’re kind of wicked,” Ron said.

“Maybe the dragon transferred some of its power to you?” Hermione said.

Harry laughed. “I don’t think that’s possible.”

“Well, it’s impossible to survive dragon fire like you did or have your eyes change like that,” Hermione pointed out.

“Maybe someone slipped you a bad batch of polyjuice potion. You know like in second year when Hermione sprouted fur and a tail?” Ron suggested.

Hermione flushed at the memory of her mistake. “I don’t think that’s what this is.”

“No one knows what it is. I guess I’m just going to have to accept that this is just another quirk of being Harry Potter. Like being a Parselmouth,” Harry shrugged.

“Maybe that’s it. What if it’s something tied in with being a Parselmouth?” Hermione questioned.

“I got that ability from Voldemort. You think he gave me these eyes, and the ability to be invulnerable to fire?” Harry frowned not liking the idea of having any more abilities from Voldemort.

“I don’t think Parselmouths are fireproof. But You-Know-Who was a dark wizard. Who knows what sorts of things he got up to?” Ron shivered.

“It’s as good of explanation as any other I suppose,” Harry shrugged.

Harry was trying to do what he always did. He wanted to just push all of this to the back of his mind and move on. Harry had gotten surprisingly good at over the years. But then again with all of the things that happened to him it was a necessity in his life.

They chatted for a bit longer before the two of them needed to sneak back up to Gryffindor Tower. Harry settled down to sleep. He fell asleep surprisingly quickly despite all of the turmoil his mind was in at the moment. As he slept he dreamt. His dreams were unexpectedly vivid, and that made them all the more terrifying.

In his dream ugly creatures that smelled like death and decay were chaining him down. They swarmed all around him, and started dragging him from the place he felt warm and safe. Harry struggled to free himself but there were too many of them. Things blurred for a bit, and the next thing he knew he was in a dark chamber. A man who’s shape was muddled was standing over him, chanting in a strange language that rang painfully through Harry’s ears. Pain lanced through every part of his body. He was crying out to someone. He wanted them to save him. But he couldn’t quite remember who it was.

“Mr. Potter!” a rough shove finally freed him from his nightmare.

Harry opened his eyes to see Madam Pomfrey hovering over him. Her brows were drawn down, and her lips were pursed.

“What is it?” Harry asked, trying to reorient himself. His body was still tense and telling him that he was in danger. Harry kept trying to convince himself that this wasn’t the case.

“You were having a nightmare, Mr. Potter. A bad one if your screams were anything to go by,” Madam Pomfrey’s frown deepened.

“Thank you, Madam Pomfrey,” Harry had to clear his throat. His throat felt rough. No doubt from his shouting. The dream had been quite different from the vivid ones he’d had at the beginning of summer. But it still had that vague sense that it had really happened.

Madam Pomfrey helpfully handed him a glass of water, which he gulped down gratefully.

“It’s time for breakfast anyway, and after you have your breakfast you’re cleared to go,” Madam Pomfrey stated, fluffing his pillows so that he could sit up.

“What about my eyes? Do I really have to go out there with them like this?” Harry motioned to his inhuman golden eyes.

“The Headmaster thought of this and took care of it, Mr. Potter. He charmed a new pair of glasses for you. They will make your eyes appear to be green when you’re wearing them. All you have to do is make sure you keep your glasses on your face. A difficult fete for you I’d say,” Madam Pomfrey nodded to where a new pair of glasses sat his bedside. The fire had destroyed his other glasses.

Harry ate his breakfast slowly. He wasn’t eager to rejoin the rest of the world. Who knows what sorts of rumors were circulating? It couldn’t be worse than all the Potter Stinks badges or the cold shoulder he’d been receiving since the start of the tournament. At least Ron had finally come to his senses. He could get through anything with his two best friends at his side.

Eventually Madam Pomfrey kicked him out with strict instructions to come back if his condition changed. It was the weekend, which meant there were a lot of students loitering about the corridors. Every single one of them fell silent as Harry walked by. Harry ignored them. He tried to remind himself that their opinions didn’t matter. Finally he made it back up to the Gryffindor Common Room. Harry was pleasantly surprised when almost all of his fellow Gryffindors greeted him enthusiastically. They all wanted to make sure that he was all right, and expressed their relief at surviving. No one really questioned how he survived, and just cheered that he was apparently fire resistant. It seemed they had all just gotten used to the miraculous survivals of Harry Potter. It made things easier for Harry.

Things settled back down for a while after that. Except for the dreams. After that first nightmare the rest of his dreams were surprisingly pleasant despite the strangeness of them. For the star of his dreams was a dragon. A talking dragon with a deep, powerful voice who made Harry feel safe and happy in these blurry and confusing dreams. In the dreams the dragon was speaking a foreign language but Harry was able to understand him only to wake up the next morning, and completely forget exactly what he had said. Harry could only remember the vague impression of the dragon telling him bedtime stories. But other than the dreams there were no further changes in his condition, which Harry was grateful for.

Harry wasn’t so grateful when he found out he hadn’t been disqualified from the tournament. He was even awarded some points just for surviving the dragon fire. Dumbledore had apparently spread the story that Harry had used some sort of spell to make himself impervious to it even though he wasn’t able to grab the egg. Dumbledore didn’t want anyone else to know that they in fact didn’t know how Harry had managed to survive or about the change in his eyes. However, the other headmasters insisted it wasn’t fair for Harry to get an egg with a clue for the next task when he hadn’t actually completed the first. So Harry was flying blind. At least he had been until Cedric Diggory had let him know that the task would take place in the lake, and they would be looking for something of theirs as a way to thank Harry for telling him about the dragons.

Sirius and Remus got in touch with him expressing their worry over his near death experience. Harry had shared the change with his eyes, and his increased body temperature. He hoped as good friends of his parents they would have been able to give him some explanation for the changes. Maybe a strange disease had gotten passed down through his family or something. Neither of them knew of anything of the sort, and so Harry was just left with more questions.

At least he had Hermione. She couldn’t let the matter rest, and had begun to research dragons in depth. She even owled Ron’s brother Charlie with questions about them. She’d learned quite a bit so far, including that dragons, especially mother dragons, had magical qualities to their fire. Dragon fire was reportedly able to break through and cancel most spells, and even weaken the really strong ones. It was quite similar to the deadly magical fire known as fiendfyre that only the most powerful wizards were capable of wielding. However, this didn’t explain how Harry had survived. In fact it just reassured him of the fact that he should actually be burnt to crisp.

Hermione didn’t let this stop her. She kept looking and one morning, a few days before the Second Task, she sat down at the Gryffindor table in a flurry of excitement to tell him about some new information she had discovered.

“They’re called Greater Dragons,” Hermione explained breathlessly.

“Greater Dragons? Those are just stories, Hermione, legends. Everyone knows that,” Ron said between bites of sausage.

“And to muggles wizards and dragons are just stories,” Hermione argued.

“What’s so different about these Greater Dragons?” Harry asked before they could get into a full-blown argument. The two of them had been even testier around each other since Hermione went to the Yule Ball with Viktor Krum.

“Dragons are considered animals. They are intelligent and powerful animals but that’s all they are. Greater Dragons however were reported to be sentient beings capable of speech, magic, and possessed an intelligence to match a human being’s. In fact in many cases it said they were probably smarter as they were capable of remembering every single piece of treasure in their hoard, and could tell almost immediately if a piece were missing. They could live for hundreds and hundreds of years, and grew to a far greater size than even the largest dragon that we are aware of now,” Hermione went on in excitement.

“It’s all rubbish. If dragons like that existed I think we’d know,” Ron argued.

“They could be extinct,” Hermione shot back.

“Why bring them up, Hermione? Does it have anything to do with what happened to me?” Harry asked before Ron could start the argument in earnest. His mind was drifting to his dreams and the talking dragon that made up a large part of them.

“I just find it fascinating. I’d never heard them mentioned before, and they’re complex creatures,” Hermione defended.

“Could they change their shape?” Harry asked.

“I don’t think so. But they had magic, and the book I read didn’t really seem clear on the things they could do with it,” Hermione answered.

“Do you think Harry’s really some Greater Dragon?” Ron scoffed.

“I didn’t say that, Ronald. But he could have dragon blood,” Hermione fiddled with her book.

“Is there some way we could test my blood?” Harry questioned, although he wasn’t sure why. It’s not as if either one of his parents were dragons in disguise.

Harry had tried to ignore the changes but with the dreams nagging at him every night it made it difficult.

“There is a potion, I think, that lists your ancestors and their species. It takes a week to brew it. It would be a fascinating project. We should all do it,” Hermione was smiling now at the prospect of the challenge to come.

“What about the Second Task? What are you going to do about that, Harry?” Ron changed the subject.

“I have no idea,” Harry shrugged.

And he didn’t have a plan up until the brisk morning of the Second Task dawned. He’d actually been planning on just sitting it out. Harry would give it a token effort but the First Task had proven that he didn’t actually need to complete a task. Still, he was grateful that Dobby was thoughtful enough to come up with a way to help him. The small house elf had provided Harry with some gillyweed, which would apparently allow him to breath under water for an hour or so. It would also give him webbed fingers and toes to speed him along through the water, which was helpful since Harry had never even been swimming before. That’s how Harry found himself stuffing the disgusting seaweed into his mouth and swallowing it just as the horn blew signaling it was time for the champions to enter the water.

However, Harry had a very bad reaction to the gillyweed. It had worked for a short while but after swimming for only a couple of minutes in the lake his body decided it had enough of the water. His body completely rejected the idea of having gills, and he found himself trying to purge himself of the gillyweed. He swam quickly towards the surface. Harry managed to pull himself towards the closest shore. It was one that brushed up against the Forbidden Forest. Harry didn’t care. He was too busy throwing up the contents of his stomach. He should have known better than to take anything that Dobby had given him.

He didn’t know how long he knelt on the shore being sick. But a shouted “Potter,” had Harry’s eyes turning towards the source.

Snape was stalking towards him, his black robes billowing behind him like a great bat.

“You left the lake, Potter. Everyone is searching for you. However, I can see why you left. You were the one to steal the gillyweed from my stores,” Snape accused.

“Wasn’t me,” Harry managed to get out before gagging on some more bile.

“Of course not, Potter, that’s why partially digested gillyweed is laid out in front of you,” Snape scoffed.

Harry just shook his head. Snape wouldn’t change his mind. Harry was always guilty in his eyes, and he should have known better than to trust Dobby.

“Let’s get you back to the castle, Potter. Your fans will no doubt be worried about you,” Snape reached forward to help him up from his hunched over position.

As Harry stood Snape loosed a small exclamation of surprise, and jerked away from him. Harry quickly locked down, and yelped. On his arms were patches of black scales. Harry looked up at Snape seeing his own shock mirrored back at him from Snape’s black eyes.

“Is this from the gillyweed?” Harry asked desperately.

“No, this would never be a possible side effect of gillyweed,” Snape replied stiffly.

“What’s happening to me?” Harry couldn’t help but murmur.

“I do not know, Mr. Potter,” and if Harry didn’t know better he would have said that Snape almost sounded concerned about his well being.

Snape helped him up to the castle without anyone seeing him. He left him with Madam Pomfrey before heading back out to tell everyone that he found him. Madam Pomfrey was just as clueless about the sudden appearance of scales as she was about Harry’s eyes and abnormally high body temperature. Once more she ran a battery of tests with no conclusive results, only that the scales didn’t pose him any harm.

Dumbledore and McGonagall eventually arrived to check on him, and questioned him about what had happened. Harry told them about the gillyweed and his bad reaction to it. He showed them his newly developed scales, and Madam Pomfrey told them there wasn’t anything wrong with him. It left everyone involved completely frustrated. They didn’t have any answers as to what was wrong with Harry, and the only thing they could suggest was to keep his newly acquired black scales covered. He was just lucky they were in places that could be covered up by his sleeves.

Harry was sent back to Gryffindor Tower. It turned out that Ron was the special thing that he had lost. He felt bad about not rescuing Ron but of course they didn’t actually leave him at the bottom of the lake. As it turned out Harry wasn’t the only one who didn’t complete this task. The Beauxbatons champion Fleur Delacour also didn’t complete the task, which was a relief to Harry. It made Harry’s own failure less noticeable considering Fleur had apparently made a huge spectacle in front of the crowd by trying to go back into the lake for her sister.

Without everyone’s attention on him Harry could focus his attention on the potion that Hermione had been brewing for the past few days. After this latest incident he thought that this might be the only way for him to find some answers to his problem.

He fire called Sirius in the meantime to apprise him of the situation. His godfather was alarmed by the latest development. Sirius insisted on coming to Hogwarts to see him despite the fact that the Ministry wanted him Kissed on sight. Harry tried to dissuade him but Sirius assured him that he would find a way.

A couple of days later the potion was finished. Harry, Ron, and Hermione found themselves back in Moaning Myrtles bathroom on the second floor. It had made Harry and Ron a little leery to be back there after the incident in second year. After all the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets was located just a few feet away.

“All right so we each have a vial of the potion. We prick our fingers and allow a single drop of blood to fall into the vial. Then swirl it counter clockwise until it turns magenta. After that simply pour it onto the parchment you brought with you. It should only take a few seconds after that to complete,” Hermione instructed.

Harry and Ron glanced at one another. Hermione had already pricked her finger. The two of them shrugged and did as they were told. Harry concentrated closely as he swirled the potion. He had no idea what he expected to find out from this. Harry just wanted answers for what was happening to him.

“One of my ancestors was a witch,” Hermione gasped as she looked over her list.

“I’m related to the Blacks!” Ron cried looking at his own.

Harry was just staring at his own list. It didn’t make any sense to him even though the list was fairly straightforward. There was his name up at the top while the names of his parents and other ancestors branched out below it. Their species was written out below the names. What didn’t make sense were the names and the species of his parents. Below his own name, instead of the expected Lily Potter nee Evans and James Potter were the names Ancia and Smaug. Instead of listing them as witches or wizards their species was listed as ‘Unknown’.

“Oh, Harry,” Hermione whispered when she caught sight of his parchment.

“What’s…oh,” Ron trailed off as soon as he too caught sight of Harry’s list.

“I’m adopted?” Harry muttered.

His entire worldview was shattering. How could he be anyone other than Harry Potter? How could his parents be someone other than James and Lily Potter? He looked just like them. Everyone said so. None of it made any since.

“Maybe you didn’t do the potion right,” Harry suggested desperately.

“I don’t think I did, Harry. Ron’s and mine both worked perfectly,” Hermione said.

She watched him carefully, and Harry could see the distress in her eyes on his behalf.

“It’s okay, mate. It doesn’t mean anything,” Ron clapped him awkwardly on the back.

“Yes, we’ll figure this out together. Sirius and Remus must know something, and if not the goblins will know. They keep records of such things,” Hermione nodded looking determined.

“Thanks,” Harry forced a smile.

He was grateful to have his friends’ support in this but it still didn’t change the fact that his parents weren’t who they thought they were, and that his entire life was crumbling before his eyes.

The next few days he spent a lot of time by himself mulling over the information he had received. There was no doubting that it was the truth. But what did Harry do now? The smart thing to do would be to look up his birth parents, and perhaps they would hold the answers as to what was happening to him. According to the list his birth mother was dead. His father was still alive, however. But it didn’t really matter considering neither his mother nor father had a surname to help in his search. Harry thought that Hermione was right; he would have to end up asking the goblins about it. 

Several days later he was out on a walk, trying to avoid Hermione and Ron when a large black dog appeared at his side. Harry felt a rush of warmth at the sight of Sirius’s animagus form. But when Padfoot tugged on the sleeve of his jacket to follow him into the secret tunnel under the Shrieking Shack, Harry hesitated. What would Sirius do when he found out that Harry wasn’t the son of his best friend? Gathering his famous Gryffindor courage he followed Padfoot down into the tunnel.

Sirius waited until they were safely ensconced in the old ramshackle house before returning to his human form. His godfather looked only marginally better than when Harry had seen him last. He was still a bit dirty and unkempt but at least he’d lost a bit of the waxy corpse-like appearance he’d worn before. He’d put on a bit of weight but he was still undernourished. The mad glint in his eyes has dimmed a bit, and he didn’t seem quite as insane as he had last year.

“Sirius,” Harry greeted warmly.

“Hello, Harry,” Sirius smiled back and moved forward to embrace him.

Harry accepted the hug gratefully, not realizing how much he really needed one until now. Strange and deadly things were always happening to him but finding out that he wasn’t who he thought he was had caused his confidence to wobble slightly.

“How have you been?” Harry asked.

“I’ve been good. Any place seems like a palace compared to Azkaban. What about you? How are you holding up?” Sirius asked, resting his hands on Harry’s shoulders, his gray eyes were filled with concern.

“I’m okay, but I found out something,” Harry had to look away from Sirius as he related the events of the ancestry potion. He didn’t want to see the eventual rejection he would receive when Sirius learned the truth.

Only when he finished did he chance looking up. Sirius reaction was not what he thought it would be. The older wizard had sat down on the old ratty sofa, a look of intense concentration on his face.

“You don’t look very surprised to find out that I’m adopted,” Harry pointed out as slowly took the seat beside Sirius.

“I’m not. I knew Lily and James adopted you. The truth is that they found you,” Sirius explained.

“What? What do you mean they _found_ me?” Harry demanded.

“In the woods behind their house. There was some sort of magical explosion, and when they went to investigate they found a baby. They found you. James told me there was some sort of magic surrounding you but that it almost felt… unfinished like someone had been in the middle of casting a curse over you but they didn’t get a chance to finish. It was a type of magic they had never felt before, and James wanted to wait to assess the situation but Lily of course couldn’t just leave you lying there crying your eyes out. When she went to pick you up whatever spell had been left unfinished started to pull at her magic. James went to help and the spell latched on to both of them,” Sirius paused to run a hand through his hair.

Harry’s mind was racing. “What happened then?”

“The spell weakened them enough to send them to their knees but it stopped before it could kill them, thankfully. When they gathered their strength enough to look down at you, you had changed. You looked just like them. They didn’t say what you had looked like before that but once the spell was finished you were a copy of them. What was even stranger, is when they were strong enough to make their way back inside an owl had been sent from Gringotts congratulating them on their first child. Gringotts has powerful spells in place to follow bloodlines, and somehow whatever happened between James, Lily, and you was strong enough to fool those spells. Further testing showed that you were their son so they kept you, and they loved you like you really were their own son. No one ever realized the truth. They only told me the truth when I became your godfather incase something happened to them,” Sirius shrugged.

“Why didn’t you tell me this before when I first brought up the changes?” Harry demanded.

“To be honest I sort of forgot all about it. Azkaban wasn’t all that forgiving to my mind. I just didn’t connect the dots,” Sirius answered sheepishly.

“What else could it possibly be? I mean did they ever look into where I came from?” Harry questioned.

“They tried but like I said all the spells they tried just came up with you being their son. They weren’t able to find out who your birth parents were, let along track them down,” Sirius replied.

“Well, it’s not working now. I completed an ancestry test and Lily and James weren’t listed as my parents. Do you think whatever spell made me look like them is starting to wear off?” Harry asked.

“That must be it. But I have no idea what that could possibly mean. I don’t know what you looked like before the spell,” Sirius shook his head.

“I’m growing scales, Sirius, and my eyes… I know I told you about them but seeing them in person probably leaves a better impression,” Harry took off his glasses so that Sirius could get his first good look at them. “Something is happening, and it’s getting worse.”

“Merlin, Harry,” Sirius leaned closer to better inspect his eyes, and scaled arms. “I don’t know what’s going on.”

“I think I’m a dragon. But not like the dragons from the dragon reserve. I mean something closer to a Greater Dragon,” Harry suddenly stated.

He’d been thinking about it a lot and there was just something right about the idea of him being a dragon. There were the dreams to consider, and he could even swear that sometimes it felt like something was trying to claw its way through his skin. He felt uncomfortable in his own body. This had all really started when the dragon’s flames had rushed over him. Harry told Sirius as much.

“Maybe. Maybe the spell on you turned you into a human, using Lily and James as a sort of model of what to look like. The fire from the dragon started weakening it. Or maybe it’s just wearing off because you’re getting older. I don’t really know. This is a bit out of my depth here. I’ll talk to Remus about it, maybe he’ll know. He does enough reading to come up with some ideas. Until then don’t panic, and let me know if anything changes,” Sirius commanded.

“I will,” Harry nodded, relieved that he could rely on Sirius.

“You’re still my pup, even if you turn out to be a scaly, fire breathing dragon,” Sirius assured him ruffling his hair.

Harry smiled. “And I still like you despite your dog breath.”

“Oi!” cried Sirius.

The two of them chatted for a bit longer before Sirius had to leave. Harry made his way back up to Hogwarts. It was almost a relief to have some of the truth even if it was shocking to have concrete proof that James and Lily Potter weren’t his birth parents. It almost just furthered his belief that he was a dragon, and that was a thought that boggled his mind. After all it would mean that he didn’t really look like this, and his true form was in fact a giant fire-breathing lizard.

///

The weeks leading up to the Third Task were a blur to Harry. Now that he was certain about what he really was he spent all of his time trying to shift into his dragon shape. To his frustration he hadn’t had any success. It had become an obsession to Harry. But he just couldn’t break through whatever curse was keeping him human shaped. It was almost as if he needed another catalyst to further wear down whatever spell had been put on him. The dragon fire had been what started it all, and the gillyweed seemed to wear it down further. Harry was almost tempted to get his hands on some more of it just to see if it would do anything else.

Harry was still trying right up until the day of the Third Task. He and the other champions were brought down to the Quidditch Pitch, which had been turned into a giant hedge maze. Harry was sent into the maze last because of his utter failure with the other tasks. He didn’t mind. Harry wasn’t really going to try to reach the center of the maze anyway. It just didn’t really seem fair after all the other champions had actually been trying to win. Harry was sort of stumbling along behind them in comparison.

The maze was constantly shifting, and there were quite a few deadly creatures that kept Harry moving through the maze. Harry found himself just picking random pathways, hoping that it would keep away from the other champions and the Tri-wizard Cup. Of course his attempts of avoiding the cup meant that he ended up stumbling upon it while trying to get away from a blast-ended skrewt.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Harry muttered as he stared blankly at the glowing Tri-wizard Cup.

He glanced around, trying to decide what to do. One of the champions was out as seen by the flash of red that someone had shot up earlier. That left two others. The question was did Harry wait here in the safety of the center or did he go back off into the maze? Or he could take it. A small part of him whispered about how shiny the cup was, and he instinctively seemed to know that it was made of gold. Before he realized it his hand was reaching out to pick up the cup. He was snapped out of his staring when a second shot of red was blasted into the sky. That only left one more champion. The thought had only crossed Harry’s mind, and then a third red light had been sent up.

Harry found himself utterly confounded. All three older, and more experienced champions had failed to get through the maze. There were a lot of deadly things in the maze but nothing that would cause them to just give up. Harry couldn’t picture someone like Viktor Krum just sending up red sparks unless he’d really been hurt. Harry supposed he could send up red sparks and then maybe no one would win. But then again they would probably just come up with an even more insane task for all of them to do. Harry figured the only way to end it all was for him to take the cup.

He reached out and grabbed it. The moment he did, he felt an uncomfortable but familiar jarring sensation. It was as if something hooked him behind his bellybutton and yanked harshly. The ground vanished beneath his feet, and Harry was flitted away to another location. 

Harry was dumped, painfully, out onto the ground. The cup went flying off into the dark. He wasted no time in picking himself up off the ground only to find himself in a dark, and decrepit cemetery. For only the smallest moment Harry allowed himself to believe that this was all still part of the Tri-wizard Tournament. But he didn’t think even the crazed tournament officials would send him here. Harry made certain that he had his wand in hand. Something wasn’t right here and he wanted to stay alert for any signs of danger. He was grateful for the fact that his new eyes had given him the ability to see in the dark. His senses were also stronger, and he unabashedly scented the air to try and learn anything new about his surroundings.

He caught a familiar scent. But Harry couldn’t quite recall where he recognized the smell. It must have been before his senses had become enhanced. Before Harry had a chance to analyze it any further a spell came hurtling at him from behind a tombstone, and Harry knew no more.

The first thing he heard was a hissing voice berating someone. He was tightly bound to something rough and cold. No doubt it was one of the many available tome stones strewn around the graveyard. Harry opened his eyes. His eyes immediately locked on the large black cauldron sitting directly in front of him. This didn’t bode well for Harry.

“He’s awake,” announced the hissing voice.

Harry’s gaze instantly snapped to the side. Only to catch sight of the two people he hated most in the world. Well, if the second could actually be classified as a real person. It looked more like a wrinkled and wasted child. But despite that Harry knew exactly who it was. The snake-like red eyes were a dead giveaway.

“Hello, Harry Potter,” Voldemort drawled looking extremely smug.

What followed was a monologue that Harry wished he could have blocked out. He supposed it was better to pay attention so that he could learn a little bit about what Voldemort had planned. Apparently he had a spy working for him in Hogwarts who had turned the cup into a portkey. They had put his name in the goblet, and ensured that Harry would be the first one to reach the cup by ruthlessly taking out the competition. Apparently he’d had no choice what with the way that Harry kept utterly failing at the other tasks. Voldemort was attempting to regain his body and to do that he needed Harry’s blood.

When Voldemort shared that bit of information Harry started to struggle in earnest. No matter how hard he tried he couldn’t break free from the ropes binding him to the headstone. Wormtail ripped off the sleeve of his shirt to collect his blood. He paused when he caught sight of the black scales on Harry’s arm.

“My lord, something’s wrong with his arm,” Wormtail worried.

“Stop delaying and just get the blood,” Voldemort snapped.

Wormtail frowned obviously wavering between insisting that something was wrong and his fear of Voldemort’s wrath if he delayed any longer. Wormtail’s fear won out and he sliced a cut along Harry’s forearm. The blood went into the cauldron with bone dust from Voldemort’s father, followed quickly by Wormtail’s hand.

It didn’t take long after that before Voldemort was rising from the cauldron pale, thin, and snake-like. He wasted no time lording over his return to Harry who was desperately trying to free himself. Harry had gotten physically stronger but these ropes were magical, and a bit tougher to break. Things went from bad to worse when Voldemort called on his servants, and soon a ring of black-cloaked Death Eaters formed in the cemetery.

Voldemort gave them all a dramatic speech too, and berated them for abandoning him to life as a shade. It was sort of nice to watch the way the Death Eaters cowered and groveled before Voldemort. Even Lucius Malfoy was on the ground practically kissing Voldemort’s feet. It didn’t take long for Voldemort’s attention to turn away from his followers and back to Harry.

“Now I give you the guest of honor of tonight’s events. Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived,” Voldemort announced.

He went on to taunt Harry making the Death Eaters laugh when they were expected to. They really laughed when Voldemort cut him down, handed him back his wand, and demanded they duel. Harry refused to bow to the monster, and then of course Voldemort used a spell that forcibly bent his spine. The Death Eaters burst into raucous laughter. The duel began in earnest then, and it was all Harry could do to keep up. His reflexes and senses were sharper but it didn’t mean he was up to the task of dueling Voldemort. He played to his strengths, and did his best to avoid the spells Voldemort sent his way. Harry needed to get back to the portkey. His only chance at survival would be if he could find the portkey, which he’d lost among the tombstones upon arrival. He vaguely remembered the direction it should be in but it was going to be difficult to get to it with Voldemort firing off curses left and right.

As it turned all his planning was useless when Voldemort caught him with the Cruciatus. The spell caused pain like nothing Harry had ever felt before, not even from the dream of being cursed hurt quite as much. Harry screamed as he dropped to his knees, and writhed on the ground. He could hear the laughter of the Death Eaters in the background with Voldemort’s own loud sibilant exclamations of amusement. Voldemort paused for only a moment before sending the curse back at Harry full force.

It weakened Harry enough to send him to the ground and lose his grip on his wand. Voldemort didn’t waste the opportunity to kick him while he was down. Raising his wand he sent the deadly green curse directly towards Harry. Harry had no chance to avoid it, and he was hit with the full force of it. The world went black.

In the next instant Harry was jarred awake. He opened his eyes, gasping in shock to find himself somehow alive. But a quick look around showed that he had somehow been transported to a strange location. He was in a large cave with rough rock walls but a surprisingly smooth floor with odd claw marks. A pile of gold and precious jewels sat in one corner. Harry couldn’t help but feel like there was something oddly familiar about this cave.

“It’s where you were born,” offered a gentle female voice.

“Is it born? Wouldn’t it technically be hatched?” countered a male voice.

Harry whipped around just in time to see Lily elbow James in the side.

“Shut up, James. This has is supposed to be a serious and emotional meeting with our son who we haven’t seen in nearly thirteen years,” she admonished.

“Merlin, we’re dead and she still keeps trying to boss me around,” James whined.

Lily rolled her eyes. Harry could only stare at them. Lily and James Potter were actually standing in front of him appearing alive and well. They looked exactly like they did in all of the pictures he had of them as if they hadn’t aged a day. It was utterly odd. It also meant that Harry was very possibly dead.

“What in Merlin’s name is happening?” Harry gasped.

“Right, this has to be a little confusing to you,” Lily smiled warmly at him.

“Just a little,” Harry agreed.

“Well, you’re dead,” James blurted out.

“James!” Lily growled.

“Dead?” Harry demanded.

“Technically, yes. But only for a little while. You can choose to go back if you want to,” Lily offered.

“I don’t understand. Why should I be able to go back? Where are we?” Harry spun in a circle.

“We’re in an in-between place,” James answered.

“And what’s that?” Harry asked.

“It’s a place between life and death. The appearance looks a bit different to everyone. Your mind picked the place you felt the safest and most comfortable, which just happened to be the place where you lived with your birth father before we found you,” Lily smiled fondly.

“So that’s what I am? There are Greater Dragons out there?” Harry asked.

“Not quite, you are a dragon, or as they’re sometimes called, a firedrake. You are very similar to the Greater Dragons Hermione told you about. But in reality you are not a type of dragon that is native to the world we come from,” Lily answered.

“Excuse me, what?” Harry could only stare at them in complete confusion.

“You see you’re actually from another world, a parallel dimension type of thing. Our world and the world you’re from are pressed tightly against one another, which allows for there to be the occasional slip up between the worlds. It’s especially true if there’s some unstable magic being performed on either side,” James continued.

“Because that makes sense,” Harry glared. “So how did I slip through?”

“It’s not really our place to tell you about it. We’re not from that world, and to be honest we don’t really know a lot about it,” Lily explained.

“So you can’t tell me about my birth parents or how I ended up here?” Harry wondered

They both shook their heads.

“Could I get back to it? If I maybe wanted to someday?” Harry asked tentatively.

“Yes, there are a number of different ways. You ended up in our world by accident. One James and I will always be grateful for,” Lily stroked back a few strands of his hair.

“Even if I got you killed?” Harry asked sadly.

“Never think that, Harry. You’re our son and we love you. Voldemort was the one who murdered us. It’s not your fault,” James stated firmly.

“We wouldn’t change a thing. Except maybe to have gotten the chance to spend more time with you,” Lily said forlornly.

“Right, okay, so what do you need to tell me about Voldemort?” Harry managed to choke out. It was such a relief to know that Lily and James didn’t regret finding him or being his parents.

Lily and James quickly told him all about Voldemort’s horcruxes. Apparently he had been one of them, and that’s why he was being given the option to go back. The horcrux inside him would remain behind in this in-between place. They also told him about the others, and that they were going to help him get rid of all of them in one go.

“What do you mean, use my fire?” Harry asked shrewdly.

“When you go back the spell keeping you human will have finally broken. You’ll turn back into a dragon,” Lily explained.

“And we will combine our ghostly powers with your dragon fire to destroy all of the other pieces of Voldemort once and for all,” James cheered.

Harry stared at him.

“It’s much more complicated and mystical than that. But we’ll be doing all of the heavy lifting all you need to do is be the catalyst, and the conductor of our power,” Lily assured.

“Yup, so all you have to do set his arse on fire,” James grinned.

Lily sighed, “See what I have to put up with?”

Harry laughed. “I don’t understand how you would be able to do this.”

“Death doesn’t like to be cheated, Harry. Voldemort has been avoiding him for too long. You’re the perfect opportunity to finally take Voldemort. Death always collects his debts in the end,” James said, suddenly solemn.

“Your being here gives us a temporary connection to the plane of the living, and through you we will be able to destroy the pieces of Voldemort’s soul and force him to move on,” Lily added.

“I can’t believe I’ll finally be rid of him,” Harry smiled.

“You’ll get to have a normal life, well as normal a life as a wizard who is really a dragon can have,” James pointed out.

Lily and Harry shared a look. Harry had so many questions he wanted to ask them but it seemed that he wasn’t going to be given the chance to ask them.

“It’s time for you to go, Harry,” Lily said sadly.

“So soon?” James cried.

“Do I really?” Harry asked.

“Yes, you do. It’s not safe to remain here for too long or you won’t be able to go back at all. But go, knowing that we will always love and look out for you. And that your birth father loved you, too. You were taken from him, and he put up a hell of fight when he lost you,” Lily explained.

“I thought you weren’t supposed to tell me anything?” Harry frowned.

“Oh, screw the rules,” Lily snapped.

“Go Lils,” James cheered.

Lily continued, speaking over him, “You needed to at least know that. You have three parents that love you, Harry. He’s still alive, your biological father. But he’s hurting. Your loss forever changed him.”

“Definitely not for the better. He’s a bit of an arse now actually,” James cut in.

“What happened?” Harry demanded.

“We don’t have time. You have to go,” Lily said.

“We love you, Harry,” James embraced him.

“We’ll always love you, and we’ll be right at your side when you face Voldemort,” Lily hugged him too.

Harry gripped them both tightly absorbing the warmth of their embrace. He didn’t want to leave them but already he could feel himself being pulled away.

“I love you both, and thank you for being my parents,” Harry murmured before his world went black once more.

He woke up lying where his body had fallen when the Killing Curse had struck him. Harry only had a moment to reorient himself when he felt something snap inside him. There was a burning in his blood and his body began to twitch.

“My Lord, he’s alive!” came the cry of a Death Eater.

Harry ignored them as his body was beginning to change. His bones twisted and grew, his skin ripped to make way for midnight black scales, and yet it felt wonderful. His spine extended and was quickly wrapped in flesh and scales to make a long, powerful, spiked tail. His neck and arms lengthened. His face stretched into a snout while a crown of black horns sprouted from his skull. His longer arms grew dark membrane that connected with his body to create powerful wings. Curved black claws burst from his toes, and long talons bloomed from his fingertips.

When it was all finished Harry climbed to his feet, and stretched out his massive frame knocking over several headstones in the process. He was twice the size of the Hungarian Horntail, and ten times more deadly. His neck and tail moved with a sinuous grace that felt so comfortable to Harry. This was the body he had been born to, and Harry knew instinctively how to move in it.

Harry cast his golden-eyed gaze over the stunned group of wizards. They seemed so tiny now, so pathetic. Harry wanted to burn them from the face of existence for daring to harm him.

“What is this!?” Voldemort screamed in rage.

Harry’s newly forked tongue flicked out and he was able to catch the scent of fear. It was fear rising up from the Death Eaters and even from Voldemort himself.

“I think you could say it’s your end,” Harry snarled, only slightly surprised by the rougher quality of his voice.

His being able to talk apparently startled several of the Death Eaters and a couple of the more cowardly or perhaps the more intelligent apparated away.

“Never, I will never end. I will live forever. You are just a beast you cannot end me!” Voldemort cried, raising his wand once more.

Harry wasn’t going to give him a chance to fire off a spell.

“I’ll show you a beast,” Harry roared.

His chest and neck glowed ominously before releasing a torrent of incinerating red fire. The flames completely engulfed Voldemort and caught a few Death Eaters who were standing too close. But Harry focused all of his attention on Voldemort. He willed with everything in him to destroy Voldemort. He wanted Voldemort gone. He wanted everything single part of Voldemort burned from the face of the planet.

“We’re with you, Harry,” Lily’s voice whispered in his mind.

“Just keep it up,” James’s voice added.

Harry could almost feel the phantom touches of their hands on his arms just before a strangely cool power entered him. It surged through him, and out through the fire pouring from his mouth. In his mind’s eye he could suddenly see various odd objects bursting into flames. A cup, a locket, a diadem, a ring, and finally the snake that had been trailing Voldemort’s feet throughout the night. They all burned. Voldemort was the last to completely crumble into ash. Only then did Harry finally halt his flames, and Lily and James slipped away after a last, heartfelt farewell. Voldemort was destroyed, and Harry felt nothing but relief to finally be freed from his looming presence. It was a weight off his shoulders to know that he no longer would have to deal with the dark wizard ever again.

However there were still the Death Eaters to consider. Harry turned his attention towards the remaining Death Eaters. They were all standing in shocked silence. Their masked faces were turned towards the blackened spot where Voldemort once stood. A few fired off some spells at him but they bounced harmlessly off his thick hide. Harry drew in a deep breath causing his chest to start glowing ominously once more. The Death Eaters wisely decided not to stick around to find out what would happen afterwards. With their leader suddenly burned to a crisp, and the Boy-Who-Lived turned into a giant black dragon they were far too frightened to stick around. Disappointed Harry cooled his fire, and wondered what his next course of action should be. While he loved being returned to his true form he was certain that it wouldn’t be a good idea to remain a dragon. Someone was bound to see him, and he was pretty sure that not even the wizarding world would react well to his new appearance.  

But then again the night sky was beckoning to him, and he wanted nothing more than to stretch his wings and take to the air. Harry wanted to soar through the sky to celebrate being in his real body, and Voldemort’s defeat. He thought he deserved it after dying. Harry hesitated only a moment longer before his desire to fly on his own won out. He shifted back onto his powerful hind legs, and for the first time he stretched out his arms causing his wings to snap open. Harry instinctively knew what to do. His hind legs shoved off the ground, and with a few powerful flaps of his huge wings he was air born.

Flying under the power of his own wings was as amazing as Harry thought it was going to be. He could see everything, and the feel of the night air against his scales was magnificent. Harry was lucky that it was night. His ebony scales blended right in making him nearly invisible as twisted and dove through the sky. Flying made all of his problems flee from his mind. It was nice to just forget everything for a little while. He wasn’t sure how long he flew but eventually the sun was starting to rise. He figured he would have to return to the graveyard to try, and find the cup along with finding some way to turn into a human again.

By the time he returned to the graveyard several wizards had already shown up. Harry didn’t have time to turn back because the wizards below had already caught sight of him. Luckily they weren’t Death Eaters. With his new sharper eyesight Harry was easily able to pick out Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Sirius, and Remus. Harry was worried that Sirius was just out in the open like this but at least there were only people who knew of his innocence involved. All five of them paused and glance up into the sky with wide eyes as Harry descended from the sky.

Dumbledore cast a shielding charm on himself and the others as the gusts of wind from Harry’s wings threatened to knock them flat. When Harry finally landed, the ground shock slightly from the force.

Sirius was the first one to find his voice. “Harry?”

“Yes,” Harry replied.

“You really are a dragon,” Sirius muttered.

“It would appear so,” Harry coiled his tail and wings closer to his body in an attempt to make himself appear smaller. He lowered his head to rest it carefully beside the small group of wizards. His new sense of perception was terribly odd. They all seemed so tiny now as if they had shrunk. But in reality it was Harry that had grown. 

“Unbelievable,” Remus whispered in shock as he stared up at Harry.

“You can’t actually mean that this is Potter,” Snape snarled.

“It is me,” Harry growled at the potions professor, flashing his teeth. Harry was rewarded when he caught the slight scent of fear coming from the professor.

“How could this have happened?” Professor McGonagall cried in disbelief.

Harry easily related the events. Sirius helped him fill in the details about how Lily and James Potter found him in the woods. When they got to the part about how Voldemort used his blood to return all of their faces paled. It was quickly followed by stunned amazement when he got to the part about dying, meeting with his parents, and how they had helped him defeat Voldemort. But Harry kept the information about his birth father, and the fact that he was actually from another world to himself. That was information that he wasn’t quite ready to share with everyone just yet.

“It would explain the mark,” Snape murmured.

He pulled up the sleeve of his dark robes to reveal a red burn mark on his forearm where the black snake and skull of the Dark Mark should have been.

“The mark turned black suddenly signaling his return to power, and then just as quickly an unbearable heat seared through it burning the mark from my arm. I didn’t have time to share this information as we were all too busy searching for Mr. Potter,” Snape explained when Dumbledore sent him a questioning look.

“Did you know about the horcruxes?” Sirius demanded of Dumbledore and Snape.

“I had my suspicions,” Dumbledore nodded.

“And you didn’t tell me?” Harry growled, and he was pleased that his growl was much more effective now that he was a dragon. They certainly couldn’t ignore him now.

“I believed I was protecting you from an unfortunate truth,” Dumbledore said.

“Haven’t I proven that I can handle myself?” Harry glared at Dumbledore.

Harry didn’t appreciate being kept in the dark like that especially when he had been a horcrux. He knew Dumbledore probably thought he was too young to know. But Harry had been through so much already. Voldemort had been after him since he was a baby. Dumbledore should have kept him informed of the dangers that Voldemort posed even if they were just suspicions. It would have been nice to know that Voldemort was nearly immortal.

“Hardly, Potter, you are childish. Always jumping rashly into dangerous situations. You couldn’t have been trusted with such vital information,” Snape drawled.

“Oh but you could? Harry’s saved people, which is more than you can say, Snivellus,” Sirius defended him.

“Can’t we all just appreciate that Harry is alive, and Voldemort is defeated once and for all?” Remus spoke up, stepping between the two dark haired wizards.

“Yes, I agree Remus,” Professor McGonagall nodded, giving both Snape and Sirius stern looks.

“I do apologize, Harry. It was a mistake not to tell you something so important. I am glad that you’re all right, and everything has turned out well,” Dumbledore told him solemnly.

Harry could tell that he meant his words but it would still take a bit of time for him to get over the feelings of betrayal. So for now he just nodded to the headmaster without really accepting his apology.

“What happens now?” Harry questioned, tilting his head to indicate his much larger form. Lily and James had never mentioned if he’d be able to shift back once the spell had broken.

“Let’s start with you trying to shift back,” Sirius said stepping up.

“Your mind should have some memory of its previous shape after spending so many years in it. It is simply the matter of whether or not you still possess the ability too. I’ve never heard of a dragon possessing the magic to complete such a change. But then I’ve never heard of a dragon capable of speech either,” Professor McGonagall pointed out.

“I don’t believe Harry is a type of dragon we have only ever encountered before in legend,” Dumbledore soothed. “I think that he is more than capable of returning to a human form, and Sirius and Minerva are the perfect ones to help coach you through the process. Severus and I will return to Hogwarts and reassure everyone that you are safe.”

With that said the two of them apparated away. It went a long way to easing the tension in the air with the two of them gone, and letting Harry relax a bit.

“All right let’s get started,” Sirius glanced up at Harry.

Over the next hour Remus, Sirius, and Professor McGonagall all helped coach him through various exercises in hopes of helping Harry return to his human form with little success. The problem wasthey were making things too complicated. They were too focused on the idea of teaching Harry the techniques of changing back from an animagus form. This was his true form, and his human form had been the foreign one. Changing back to his human shape wouldn’t quite be the same as the animagus transformation, and his magic was fundamentally different now. It was a tad bit wilder but the years training as a wizard ensured that it wasn’t completely uncontrollable.  

Eventually Harry realized that their advice wasn’t going to help him. Harry looked inside himself, and he discovered the way to turn back. The tricky part was that Harry had to actually want to change back and right now he didn’t really want to. A part of him remembered just how painful the first changes were. He was afraid that if returned to a human shape he would be stuck that way forever, and he didn’t want that. Harry liked his dragon form. He didn’t want to turn back into some weak thin-skinned human.

Harry relaxed, and did his best to convince himself that he would be able to return to his dragon form if he could just switch back to his human form first. He closed his eyes and pictured his human form down to the smallest detail he could think of. It took a bit but eventually there was the unpleasant sensation of shifting bones, and being crushed but eventually he was back in his more familiar shape.

He flushed to the tips of his ears when he realized he wasn’t wearing any clothes, and rushed to cover himself. Luckily Remus quickly took care of it and transfigured a robe to drape over him.

“Well done, Harry,” Sirius praised.

“Your eyes have even returned to their previous green, Mr. Potter,” Professor McGonagall informed him, actually looking at him now that he was safely covered.

Harry nodded in relief that he’d managed it, and to his further relief Harry felt the utter certainty that he would be able to change back. With that knowledge firmly set in his mind they all traveled back to Hogwarts. Sirius as Padfoot of course but the rest of them returned to the chaos that Hogwarts had become after Harry’s sudden disappearance. He was taken into the privacy of the Hospital Wing where his friends were all waiting.

They all clamored over him to make sure that he was all right, and asked what had happened. He told them everything that had happened even the part about being a dragon. Hermione was full of questions about Voldemort and his dragon form, and Ron was happy to hear that Harry had destroyed Voldemort and scared a bunch of Death Eaters in the process. The other Weasleys soon found them, and Harry was grateful to have their concern and support. It was almost like being part of a family. However, in the back of his mind was the memory of what Lily had told him about his birth father being hurt by his loss.

Once he’d reassured everyone important to him that he was all right things got interesting. It was discovered that Moody was Death Eater Barty Crouch Jr. in disguise. Crouch Jr. was taken into custody where it was proven that he put Harry’s name in the goblet of fire and charmed the cup to become a portkey. He got rid of the other champions in the maze to ensure Harry got the cup, and was sent to the graveyard for Voldemort to use in his ritual to get his body back.

With Crouch in custody he gave up information about Peter Pettigrew being alive, and helping him to get Voldemort’s body back. It wasn’t long before it was proven to be fact and Sirius’s name was cleared for good. The Ministry also had concrete proof that Voldemort had been alive all this time. They stunned to learn the truth but to their credit they quickly sent out several task forces to search for any remaining evidence of him and for any Death Eaters who were still active. Harry was declared the winner of the Tri-wizard Tournament despite his insistence not to be. When the other champions found out about his facing Voldemort and his Death Eaters they insisted that he deserved the title. Harry didn’t quite feel the same, and gave the gold to the Weasley twins to start up their joke shop.

Harry spent the rest of his fourth year in relative peace. Harry was able to focus on his classes, and spend time goofing off with his friends. He spent time in his dragon form learning its strengths, and limitations. Eventually Harry came to an agreement with Dumbledore. Harry was no longer actively mad at his headmaster but he didn’t quite trust him the same as he once had. Everyone at Hogwarts, and the wizarding world in general loved him again for his defeat of Voldemort. Of course none of the general public quite knew the truth of what had happened in the graveyard. The Death Eaters were the only ones who had witnessed it, and they didn’t exactly want to come forward with the information with the manhunt going on for them, thanks to Amelia Bones.

Life was finally turning up for Harry. There was no more Voldemort, and with Sirius declared innocent Harry was allowed to go and live with him when the summer break rolled around. The two of them moved into a nice country house with a lot of land surrounding them to keep away any unwanted neighbors. Remus joined them after a lot of wheedling from Sirius and Harry. After all Sirius was an animagus and Harry was a dragon it wasn’t as if Remus’s werewolf side could hurt either of them. The three of them spent every full moon together. It was the only time Harry ever really got the chance to stretch his wings. It was unanimously had decided it was better that the general public didn’t know about his scalier side. Harry didn’t want everyone knowing about him being a dragon. He was afraid that wizards would come after him or worse try to kill him.

Harry really shouldn’t complain about not being able to change all the time. Everything was going well. But spending a long period in his human form made Harry surprisingly anxious. He didn’t feel as comfortable in his human skin as he used to. His dreams were filled with flying, fire, and gold. Harry had to resist the urge to hoard any pieces of gold that he encountered. A part of him desperately wanted to stop being a wizard all together and leave it all behind to just be a dragon.

 

///

 

The day before his fifteenth birthday Hermione and Ron came over to spend the night. Tomorrow Sirius was throwing a big party. The three of them ended up staying up until midnight just so they could wish Harry a happy birthday before anyone else. While waiting for the clock to chime Harry brought up what Lily and James had told him about his birth father, and being from another world for the first time.

“What if he’s some monster?” Harry asked.

It had been bothering him a lot. Dragons didn’t exactly have a good reputation in stories, and James had said that he was an arse. Harry could tell that he had been trying to make light of the situation, which meant that Harry’s birth father must have been pretty terrible.

“It’s no use worrying over it, mate, it’s not like you’ll ever know unless you go back to that other world,” Ron shrugged.

“Ron, this is important to Harry,” Hermione glared. “Besides it would be a fascinating project to research travel between dimensions. Oh, there’s so much I need to look up.”

“Don’t run off for the library just yet, Hermione,” Harry joked.

“I’m sorry, Harry. I didn’t mean to brush aside your concerns,” Hermione apologized.

“It’s all right. I understand this is exciting for you,” Harry assured.

“Would you want to go if we found a way?” Hermione asked shrewdly.

Harry shrugged and glanced away. He’d been thinking about it a lot lately. Especially after his recent dreams. Well, they were more like memories than they were dreams. They had grown much more vivid since the spell keeping him human had broken. The memories made him realize just how much his birth father had cared for him, and Harry found himself wanting to meet him.

“I think I would, someday,” Harry answered eventually.

“Then we’ll find a way, and then we’ll all go together,” Hermione said with determination.

Ron spluttered in surprise. “Speak for yourself. I don’t want to meet Harry’s dragon father if there might be a chance he’ll eat us. I mean I thought dragons here were bad. Harry’s enormous in his dragon form. I can’t imagine what his dad would look like.”

Harry just laughed. But the truth was that he was a little nervous. What if he did end up meeting his father and he didn’t recognize him? Or worse he recognized him but didn’t care? To Harry the memories of his time with his birth father were fresh in his mind thanks to his dreams. Would it be the same for his father?

The three of them eventually settled down to sleep once Ron and Hermione had each wished him a happy birthday. As Harry slipped into a deep sleep he was once more immersed in a former memory. They weren’t always incredibly vivid but sometimes it would feel as if he was actually reliving a memory. Harry went to sleep in his bedroom, and woke up in a stone cave in another world.

Harry opened his eyes to find himself in a cocoon made of fiery red hues. He lifted his head, and instinctively recognized the scaled red hide to be his sire’s side, and the red above him to be his sire’s wing. Harry wiggled his way out from beneath his sire’s wing. He was awake and full of energy. He wanted to play. As soon as he managed to break free from his sire’s side he looked around the stone den that was his home for something to play with. His attention was immediately caught by the pile of gold in the corner. It was so shiny and sparkly. He loved it everything about it.

Harry scampered over to the gold and jumped into it. He rolled, dove, and slid around in the gold, generally making a huge disturbance. It wasn’t until a large spiked head was hovering over him that he realized he’d woken up his sire. The part of Harry that recognized this was just a memory was a little intimidated by the large, fearsome looking face hovering over him. But at the time Harry had just been utterly delighted to see that his sire had woken up to play with him.

Little growling chirps issued from Harry’s long muzzle, and he quickly moved to weave in and out of his sire’s front legs. A low rumbling purr came from his sire as he leaned down to nuzzle Harry affectionately. The older dragon said something to Harry. He didn’t quite understand completely but he understood enough to know that the older dragon was asking if he was hungry. Harry enthusiastically responded in the affirmative with little chirps.

Laughing, the larger red dragon picked him up by the back of the neck, gently holding him with his teeth. Harry’s body instinctively reacted to the hold. His body went lax, and his wings and tail tucked in close to his belly. His sire then carried him from their cave, and out on to the ledge. With a powerful leap the two of them were air born. They flew for a short distance before his sire flew over a wooded clearing with a herd of deer. Much like a hawk would catch its prey his sire snatched up a deer with his hind legs, killing it instantly with his sharp talons and strong grip. Only then did he land, and deposit Harry onto the ground.

Harry had immediately gone to the deer clutched in his sire’s claws, and he’d wasted no time in gobbling down as much of the deer as he could. With his belly full Harry curled up between his father’s front legs. The red dragon gently licked the blood from Harry’s black scales to clean him off. They settled in the clearing for a bit, and his sire told him a story. Afterwards Harry scampered around the field eager to explore his new surroundings while his sire watched on closely. He so rarely got to leave their den. It was only recently that his sire had begun taking him outside more often. The memory began to fade as they prepared to leave the clearing, and Harry drifted back into his normal dreams.

The next morning Harry woke up still feeling the contentment he had in his memory. It also helped that it was his birthday, and Sirius had made blueberry pancakes. Well, Remus had made them while Sirius supervised. But it was the thought that counted.

The rest of his guests arrived around noontime, and it was the best birthday Harry had ever had. They played Quidditch, had cake, and opened presents. The only thing that could have made it better is if his parents were there.

Of course Harry should have known something bad was bound to happen with things going so well. His life was rarely so easy. It was while he was sitting down to birthday dinner with Sirius and Remus that he felt strangely dizzy. It was suddenly as if he was stretched too thin, and the world around him grew hazy. Harry could hear Sirius calling his name but everything was blurry and fading around him. He felt as if he something had hooked around him and he was being pulled away. The last thing he heard before the world went dark were the sounds of Lily and James’s cries.


	3. A Wolf Among Sheep

Harry woke feeling like he’d been hit by a bludger. He reluctantly opened his eyes only for the blue sky above his head to spin before his eyes. Harry closed his eyes as he valiantly tried to keep from losing his dinner. It felt like he’d just taken a very unstable and vicious portkey. The ride had been so rough he actually had to run a hand over his body just to make sure that he still had all his body parts in tact. Fortunately he did. He’d heard about splinching and it didn’t sound like the most pleasant of experiences.

Once he felt a little less dizzy he attempted to open his eyes again. When he successfully managed that he climbed to his feet to survey his surroundings. He couldn’t find any clues as to where he had ended up. Nothing looked particularly familiar.

He was standing on a large rocky hill overlooking a breathtakingly blue mountain range. All around him the wilderness stretched for miles. There wasn’t a single hint of human life anywhere, and it put Harry a bit on edge. The air was cooler than the summer air of England. Harry was certain he would have been shivering in his thin cotton shirt and jeans if his own natural body heat hadn’t kept him warm.

He’d obviously been sent quite a distance away from home. Had some Death Eater out for revenge slipped a portkey into the house he shared with Sirius and Remus? But that didn’t seem right. They would have sent him somewhere other than the middle of nowhere. Unless something had gone wrong or they were just hoping he’d die of exposure. Either way he supposed he was grateful for having landed in the wilderness rather than in some trap.

Harry sighed and resigned himself to start walking. He hadn’t learned to apparate yet, and he didn’t have his wand on him. Not that the loss of his wand was too great. His magic had been acting out a bit since the spell caging his true form had broken. Sirius thought it would settle down a bit after a while, and Remus thought that maybe getting him a new wand altogether would help to channel his newer, wilder magic. They were going to look into it more once Hogwarts had started again, and Harry actually needed to use his wand.

For now Harry could only hope that he could just make his way to the nearest town, and phone Sirius or Remus to pick him up. But it looked like it was going to take him awhile. There wasn’t a single sign of life anywhere to be seen. Harry didn’t see any roads or even smoke to give him some idea of how to find other people. Feeling a bit self-conscious but not really knowing what else to do, Harry scented the air with a long, black forked tongue. With Sirius’s help he’d just started gaining control over his change, and could shift small parts of himself without changing completely. It kept the itch of wanting to change shape at bay if he did small shifts throughout the day. It was also useful to lower the risk of exposing himself to the general public to a minimum.

The air he scented was fresh and clean, and didn’t help him in the slightest in deciding which way to go. With a sigh he just picked a direction and started walking. His wished it was night then he could shift and fly without the fear of anyone seeing him.

Harry had only traveled a short distance when an awful stench filled his nostrils. It smelt of putrid unwashed bodies with the underlying scent of decay. It had Harry pausing, and glancing around for the source. It took his brain a couple of minutes but eventually he placed the horrible scent. Harry remembered this scent from his time with Smaug. It was the odor of the creatures that had taken him from his birth father permeating the air. That knowledge had Harry confronting the idea that he might not be on Earth anymore. It was shocking but a part of Harry seemed to have known from the start that he was back in the world he’d been born in. He just hadn’t wanted to admit it to himself.

There wasn’t a lot of time to panic for soon Harry got his first good look at the creatures that had taken him from his father. They crested one of the many hills, and started sprinting straight towards him. His fuzzy, fear filled memories didn’t quite do the disgusting creatures justice. They were hideous things. Their skin was molted and warped, made even further grotesque by the paint smeared across it. They rode large vicious wolf-like creatures that were the size of horses.

Despite himself Harry was caught up in the remembered terror these creatures had caused him when he’d been just a baby. Certainly Harry had faced monsters larger and more deadly than them but his childhood fear had been ingrained in him after their horrible treatment of him. The utter terror froze his mind and body. His fear allowed them to get closer than Harry would have liked. They were nearly on top of him by the time Harry managed to get his legs to work.

There was no way that Harry would be able to outrun them. Even with the greater strength and speed that his dragon side provided his human form. Harry knew he would have to change shape. Before he was given the chance a horrible pain slammed into his left leg. He stumbled and went spinning down a small incline. Harry lay at the bottom of the small hill, his head throbbing and his leg felt like it was burning. There was an arrow sticking out of his thigh. Harry couldn’t quite comprehend the fact that there was a metal arrow coated in some black goo sticking out of his leg.

He’d had a lot of nasty hexes and curses hit him, and the Cruciatus was without a doubt a far more painful experience. But it was shocking to actual have been shot with an arrow. This world seemed to be even more outdated than the wizarding world if they were going around shooting arrows at people.

The black goo seemed to be some sort of poison for an icy crawling sensation began to spread out from where the arrow had pierced his leg to the rest of his body. It sent a strange lethargy through his limbs, and had him fighting to keep himself alert.

The creatures were closing in on him, and Harry tried to gather himself enough to take his true form. The poison was doing its job of incapacitating him all too well. He couldn’t quite manage the change. Harry desperately tried to pull out the arrow but it was too firmly lodged in his leg, and his hands kept slipping in the oozing black liquid. In the end it didn’t matter. It was too late. The creatures had caught up to him. They surrounded him on their wolf-beasts, speaking to one another in a harsh and guttural language. The wolf-beasts seemed a bit nervous in Harry’s presence, and they whined and snapped in obvious anxiety.

One of the creatures swung off his mount, and approached Harry carefully. In his hands he carried black shackles. It raised an alarm within Harry. They had come prepared. They had planned to capture Harry. The creature grinned, showing disgusting sharp teeth as it crouched down beside him. Harry bared his own teeth at the creature letting them sharpen a bit. The creature drew back a bit, and the scent of fear washed over Harry. His fear gave Harry a much-needed push to lash out at the creature. The rage of being at the mercy of these creatures was already brewing inside him, and it was enough to summon his magic to the surface of his unnatural fatigue. A powerful blast of untamed magic burst out of him and knocked the creature back several feet.

The beasts all howled and cowered. The human-shaped creatures had to force their mounts back in a tight circle around Harry. The powerful blast of magic left Harry even more exhausted than before. Not that it did him any good. His uncontrollable magical outburst only succeeded in knocking out one of the creatures. The others were fine. The creature with red eyes who was obviously the leader of the small group quickly snapped out several harsh commands to the others. More of the creatures got down from their mounts, and warily approached Harry. They pinned all of his limps to the ground, and despite the pain it caused his leg Harry thrashed as much as he possibly could. It was a strength born of pure desperation. If they were going to take him he wasn’t going to make it easy on them. Even with the poison in his blood they struggled to keep him down. In the end they still managed to get the manacles on him.

With Harry’s struggles somewhat subdued the leader pulled out a metal canister. Even before he brought it close to Harry, he could smell the rancid scent wafting from it. It smelled suspiciously like the black goop that was already covering his leg. The red-eyed creature grinned maliciously as he brought the container up to Harry’s mouth. He tried to turn away but the other creatures held his head steady. One of them pinched Harry’s nose closed while another got his jaw in a painful hold. The thick black liquid was poured into Harry’s mouth filling his senses with its putrid taste before his mouth was forcefully closed. He’d had some awful potions in his life but this was far worse. It was like drinking rotten flesh, and he gagged and choked trying to keep from swallowing it. There wasn’t a lot of options, and as much as he tried to spit it out more of it ended up down his throat.

The black ichor settled in his stomach instantly giving him a queasy and lightheaded feeling. His head was spinning, and he do nothing as he was tightly bound on the back of the leader’s mount like a sack of potatoes. Black spots danced across Harry’s vision. The feeling of pins and needles prickling along his skin spread across his body, and he felt another unnatural wave of weakness. Then they were off.

Harry didn’t know what they wanted from him. It was far too much of a coincidence that these same creatures had been the ones to originally kidnap him from his father. Were they still working for the one who took him? Had they been the one to bring him back here?

Harry tried desperately to think of an escape plan but the black drink they’d forced into him made his brain sluggish. It had even overcome the pain in his leg, and his entire body just felt numb. It was a massive effort to keep himself awake. Eventually he lost the battle, and darkness dragged him down into a fitful unconsciousness.

When Harry woke again it was night. He had to pause for a moment to get his bearings. Harry couldn’t tell if he was awake or dreaming. Everything had a wavering, unreal feeling to it, and his mind was moving differently. His thoughts weren’t exactly moving in the same order. The effects of the black potion were thrumming through his veins. He had to take several deep breaths before he managed to get himself even somewhat organized. It was only with his sheer stubborn determination that he could get himself to focus on his surroundings again.

The creatures had stopped and were sitting around a fire as they gorged themselves on a deer carcass. It was a disgusting sight of the creatures’ messy eating habits even as Harry’s own stomach growled at the smell of meat. Since becoming a dragon Harry had to take up hunting. Just regular meals no longer seemed to fill him up the way they used to. Luckily as long as he caught something every couple of weeks he would be fine. Dragons didn’t need to eat as often if they consumed larger portions.

Right now Harry would eat anything to get the foul taste of the black liquid out of his mouth. He wanted to be sick but he couldn’t even summon the energy to do it. Harry was able to concentrate on his kidnappers as the creatures talked amongst themselves, and as they spoke their language became clearer to Harry. It was like something he had long forgotten. Understanding them certainly helped him learn a bit about them.

“We shouldn’t have stopped,” snarled one of the creatures whose nose was particularly large. Harry dubbed him Big Nose.

“We’re too close to the dwarf-scum’s mountains. They’ll see us,” whined another with a small tuft of hair on its bald head earning him the name Pinhead from Harry.

“They don’t come out of their mountains for nothing. The cowards. Besides we can kill any runty dwarves that get too close. We deserved to stop. We’ve been running for days searching for the boy, and we have a lot of traveling ahead of us still,” snapped yet another. He was brawnier than the others, and Harry named him Beefy.

He counted ten of the foul smelling creatures in all. Each had their own wolf mount along with an additional seven without riders, making seventeen in all. How Harry was going to get past them he didn’t know. Of course he needed to get control of his own limbs before he could even think about escape. In a way it was worse than being captured by Voldemort and his Death Eater. At least he knew what to expect from Voldemort. He didn’t know anything about these creatures. Not even what they were.

“The master won’t like it if we’re late, and we still have a lot of ground to cover,” worried Pinhead.

“We got him didn’t we? That’s all that matters. He should reward us, going so far into enemy territory like this without being caught, and he wasn’t easy to catch. Vorz still hasn’t woken up from whatever power he used on him,” Beefy growled.

“Don’t let the master hear you say that,” the red-eyed leader snapped. “He’d kill all of us if you go spouting off about deserving rewards.”

The others all grumbled giving Beefy sharp glares.

“Why does the master want him anyway?” Pinhead asked. “He’s no child of Man. No matter what he looks like.”

“He smells like fire, and death,” Big Nose agreed with a shudder.

“I don’t know and I don’t care, and neither should you. Asking questions only gets you dead. The master said to go here and snap him up. Gave us the things to do it, and told us to bring ‘em back alive at all costs. I follow orders so I can keep my head, and it might do all of you some good to remember that. I won’t lose my life for your stupidity,” the leader snarled.

The others subsided even as Big Nose and Pinhead still whispered a bit amongst themselves. They had given Harry a lot to think about. Could it be this master was the one to send Harry to Earth to begin with? Had he brought him back? But why? What did he want with Harry?

From the rest of their conversations before they put out the fire that night Harry learned a few key things about his captors. They were orcs, and their mounts were wargs. The orcs were going to be taking him back to their home base a place they called Dol Goldur. Harry took that it was quite a long ways to get there, and hoped he would be able to escape before they made it to their destination.

Once the fire was out Harry slowly used all his strength to shift onto his back. He wanted to look at the sky. Harry had always loved the sky, loved flying, and it was something that only increased when got his dragon form back. Looking at the stars grounded him. It made everything feel less disorienting. The stars above his head were beautiful but unfamiliar. They seemed brighter than the ones at home, and Harry was beginning to think that this world was far more different than the one he had grown up in. How else could he explain that creatures like orcs could just travel across the countryside without anyone to stop them?

Harry allowed himself a moment to feel lost and alone. He was sick and homesick. He wanted his friends, and he wanted his father. Not James, even though he was his father too. In this moment he wanted Smaug, and the comfort he represented to his younger self. Smaug had been a vicious protector. Harry recalled a memory of Smaug defending him from another dragon who had tried to come, and kill them both for their cave and hoard. Smaug hadn’t hesitated to attack the larger dragon, and send him careening from their home with one less wing attached to his back. Smaug could certainly destroy these awful creatures for touching him. With that thought in his mind he slipped into an uneasy sleep.

In his dreams he got his wish. He got to see his father. Even though the Smaug in his dream was different than Harry remembered. He was bigger and more scars littered his red-gold scales. Smaug slept in a pile of treasure that had Harry salivating. A light dusting of various gold objects covered the large red dragon. Harry desperately wanted to reach out and curl up beside the dragon who was his father. All at once Smaug’s fiery golden eyes slid open. Golden eyes that were exactly the same as Harry’s own scanned over the treasure and a black forked tongue flicked out to scent the air.

“Ancal?” a deep, familiar voice called out. There was an eager hope in his golden eyes as he twisted his long neck over the mounds of gold and jewels.

“Ancal, my drakeling, where are you?” Smaug cried, appearing increasingly distressed when he couldn’t find Harry among the treasure.

Harry tried to call out to his sire, to reassure him that he was there. But he couldn’t speak. The dream was fading, and Harry could feel the waking world calling to him. Someone was waking him up.

Harry tried to hold on to the dream

“It was just a dream. He isn’t here. He’s gone,” Smaug snarled in despair.

A part of Harry ached to see just how distraught Smaug became when he realized that Harry wasn’t anywhere in sight. The massive red dragon roared in fury, breathing flames everywhere in the large dark cavern before diving into the treasure and burying himself completely.

With a gasp Harry woke from his dream to a nightmare. The orc leader hovered over him, his red eyes gleaming in malice as he wiggled the arrow in Harry’s leg to get him to wake up. Harry opened his mouth to roar in pain only for a fresh splash of the black filth to fill his mouth. Harry had no choice but to swallow or else choke on the vile concoction. Instantly a fresh wave of fatigue and vertigo washed over Harry. He slumped to the ground his head spinning and his body aching dully.

The leader sent Beefy to pick up Harry and strap him onto the back of his warg, and then they were off. Harry passed into a delirious state at some point. The world around him was a spinning mass of color and vague sensation. He had no idea how many days passed. It could have been hours or it could have been a hundred years for all that Harry was aware of it. His world was only a tingling numbness and delusions.

At some point the orcs finally got around to yanking the arrow out of his leg. The spike of pain from the way they roughly yanked the arrow out of his thigh was enough to briefly bring him back to himself. Removing the arrow was the extent of their nursing abilities. Harry’s mind sluggishly turned towards things like infection and gangrene. The orcs obviously weren’t going to take care of it, and the speedy healing he had received from his dragon side seemed to have deserted him. A part of him suspected it was the black potion that had caused it. He would have done anything to be back in the firm but gentle hands of Madam Pomfrey. Harry would never complain about staying in the hospital wing ever again if he ever got the chance to get back there. Eventually the pain dulled and Harry fell back into a fitful, half delirious sleep state.

The next time he came back to himself it was to the sound of a battle. He lifted his heavy eyelids to see the orcs engaged in a vicious battle with small hairy men on ponies. A part of him lethargically wondered if this was a hallucination. If it was he patted himself on the back for being so imaginative. The bearded people wielded swords, and axes as tall as they were, and they were fierce fighters despite the fact they were smaller than the orcs especially when on their wargs. Harry had never witnessed anything quite so violent. Sure wizarding battles could be deadly but all of the blood, and gaping wounds caused by axes and swords were much more brutal.

There were a lot more of the little hairy people than there were of the orcs, and it was obvious the orcs were going to lose. The orc leader realized this. Still carrying Harry and cursing dwarf-scum, he turned his warg around to try and escape. An arrow to the back of the head had the leader toppling off the warg. The warg ran a few more meters before it soon shared the same fate as its rider. It slammed into the ground sending Harry tumbling across the hard ground.

His head slammed into a rock causing it to throb, and for him to momentarily lose consciousness. When he opened his eyes again he was disoriented and forgot where he was. The sky was spinning before his eyes, and it felt like if didn’t get a good grip on the ground he would go floating into space. He was brought back to himself by a gentle touch to his brow.

Harry found himself looking into a pair of gentle brown eyes. The man had a head of gray hair, a lot of hair. His dark gray beard was braided in an intricate manner that Harry couldn’t really appreciate in his present state. He was talking to Harry as he started prodding at him. At first Harry couldn’t understand him but just like with the language the orcs had been using the more he spoke the more Harry understood. The man was a healer, and he was trying to ascertain Harry’s condition. But Harry kept fading in and out of consciousness, and wasn’t much help to him. Harry was brought back when his healer angrily growled something in yet another foreign language when he noticed Harry’s chained wrists and ankles.

“Look for a key!” the healer called out.

Harry noticed for the first time that the rest of the small hairy people had finished off the last of the orcs, and were now disposing of the bodies by burning them. Harry greatly approved and wished he could help them. He would have loved nothing more than to burn the stench of every last orc from the face of the planet. Harry also decided that it would probably be a good idea to stop calling his rescuers little hairy people in the event that it slipped out, and insulted them. They had saved his life after all. The orc leader had called them dwarf-scum. But Harry thought that they were probably called just dwarves. He vaguely remembered dwarves from primary school fairytales, and recalled that they were supposed to be miners. He couldn’t quite recall if they actually existed in the magical world.  

The healer turned back to Harry. “Are you with me now, lad?”

Harry nodded slowly due to the pain in his head. He didn’t trust himself to speak at the moment. His mouth was dry aside from the black gunk still lingering on his tongue. He also didn’t know if he would actually be capable of speaking the language.

“Good, that’s good a lad. Here’s some water. I don’t know what that black ooze around your mouth is but I’m guessing it isn’t all too pleasant if it came from orcs,” the healer tipped a canteen full of fresh water into his mouth.

It tasted heavenly to Harry. Better than pumpkin juice or butterbeer. But that could have been because he couldn’t remember the last time he drank something other than the black ooze. He gulped down the water as quickly as he could. The healer didn’t let him drink all of it. The mouthfuls of fresh water worked wonders. Already he was more alert, and he could take in more of his surroundings.

“Now, I’m going to look at your wounds. It’s looks like you’ve got a right nasty one on your left leg. Those orcs wouldn’t know how to properly bandage a wound to save their own lives,” the healer grumbled loudly.

Harry vaguely wondered if he was being so loud for Harry’s sake or if it was just his normal volume.

“I found the key!” came a shout.

A younger dwarf dropped down beside the older one. This one wasn’t quite as hairy as the others. His beard just barely dusted his face, and his dark brown hair only had a couple of simple braids in his relatively short hair. Short in comparison to the others around him. It still fell far below his chin. The dark haired dwarf passed the keys the lead orc had carried to the healer before looking Harry over with curious brown eyes. Harry looked back equally curious. It appeared that the world he had been born into was a very diverse place, and a lot of different races of sentient beings lived here.

It was like joining the wizarding world all over again. His reintroduction to this world was a lot harsher. At least he’d had professors and friends to help him learn about it. Harry had a feeling he was going to spend a lot of time floundering and making a fool of himself as he attempted to learn how to navigate it, and interact properly with all of the various peoples.

The healer wasted no time in unchaining Harry. His wrists and ankles had been rubbed raw but the healer ignored them for now and turned his attention to Harry’s leg wound. He ripped the rest of his pant leg open, and washed it thoroughly before stuffing something green into the wound and wrapping it in clean cloth. Next he turned his attention towards Harry’s head wound. When his gentle fingers probed the head wound it made black spots dance across his vision. The pain made him dizzy, and the thick sickness of the black ichor seemed to surge within him anew. Exhaustion sank firm claws into him, and he quickly fell unconscious.

///

Harry woke to a gentle rocking. He was laying on a small wagon bundled in some rough blankets on top of some hay. The world spun before his eyes for a minute before he could get his bearings. The sky was too bright for it to still be the same day as the one he’d passed out in. He must have been asleep for a while. At least his head felt clearer. For the first time since he’d been captured by the orcs he was able to think clearly. He felt good. He was still a little weak but the unnatural lethargy that had plagued him was gone. Harry could actually move, and took advantage of that fact to look himself over.

His wrists and ankles had been carefully tended to, and his leg wound had been kept clean and was still tightly bandaged. His head wound had also been attended, and Harry was pleased to find that he didn’t even have a headache. He was also wearing new clothes. They were rough, and obviously handmade yet they were sturdy and comfortable. The shirt was a dark green while the trousers were a dark brown. He was sad about the loss of his own clothing but at least they had found something that fit him considering the size of the dwarves.

Harry would have given anything for a pepper up potion. He supposed he couldn’t be that ungrateful. He had been well cared for, and Harry was just happy that he wasn’t with the orcs any more.

The young, dark haired dwarf who had brought the keys suddenly drew up beside him on a pony. Another young dwarf with golden haired more braids, a braided mustache, and a thicker beard followed seconds later. The dark haired dwarf grinned when he saw Harry sitting up.

“You’re awake! Oin!” he called.

The healer from earlier soon came up beside him on his own pony.

“Good to see you up, laddie,” the healer greeted. “Would you like something to drink?”

Harry nodded, and the older dwarf passed over the canteen. As Harry drank his eyes carefully took in his surroundings. A group of about thirty or forty dwarves were stretched out in a line. Some were walking, others were riding in wagons filled with various materials while others rode ponies. Last time he had seen them he hadn’t quite been in the right state of mind. Only now did he take the time to really look over their appearances. Most of them were probably around four feet tall. One bald dwarf with tattoos who looked like he ate nails for breakfast had to be nearly five feet tall. They all wore thick clothing with furs and heavy boots. All of them had lots of hair. Some was worn long while others had elaborate braids. Some going so far as to braid beards and eyebrows into their hair. It was a bit fascinating.

Harry also took the time to decide just what he was going to tell them. They would no doubt want to hear all about how and why he had been captured by orcs. They would want to know who he was and where he was from. But Harry didn’t know anything about this world. He didn’t even know enough to make up a convincing lie, and lying wasn’t exactly something he wasn’t good at to begin with. Harry couldn’t tell them he was from here but had grown up in another world. Telling them that he was a dragon also seemed like a bad idea. He wanted to learn a bit more about the people who had saved him before he told them all his secrets. Harry’s best bet was to tell them nothing, to convince them that he didn’t remember anything beyond the attack.

“Your leg should be fine. I didn’t see any infection despite the care the orcs showed it, and all the black slime. If we can keep it up and keep you off the leg then you should heal up fine, and have full use of your leg. You’ve got a hearty body,” the healer declared. “Then there’s the head wound. It was quite nasty. You Men have weaker skulls that us dwarrows, and your healing was a bit comprised from whatever concoction the orcs were giving you. I was worried your mind wouldn’t function the same. So how’s the head lad?”

Harry saw this as a perfect excuse. The healer already thought he would have some head trauma. Harry was certain his magic had kept him from sustaining any permanent damage but the dwarves didn’t have to know that. He could pretend that he had lost his memories.

“My head doesn’t hurt,” Harry began out, stumbling over the foreign words. It was almost like speaking Parseltongue he just had to think about what he wanted to say and his mouth would comply.

“Speak up, laddie, I can’t hear you!” the healer shouted.

“Use your trumpet, Oin,” the brown haired dwarf shouted back with a grin.

The healer was carrying a horn of some kind. The healer, Oin apparently, must have been hard of hearing. The use of the ear trumpet only confirmed more of what Harry already knew. This world was far behind the technology of the one he’d grown up in. They were still using ponies and wagons to get around, which meant they probably didn’t have cars or electricity. The wizarding world didn’t use electricity either but their magic more than made up for it. He wondered just how common magic was to this world. They had talking dragons, dwarves, and orcs so Harry was hopeful his own abilities wouldn’t be scorned if he used them. But just like his decision to keep his dragon form a secret he would keep his magic hidden as well, unless it was absolutely necessary.

“My head doesn’t hurt but… I don’t remember anything,” Harry explained.

“You don’t remember anything,” Oin repeated.

“I don’t seem to have any memories. I think I remember a little bit of my time with the orcs. But it’s distorted and confusing. It’s like a nightmare full of sound and splashes of color,” at least Harry could be honest about that part. “Anything before that is just blank.”

“I was afraid of that,” Oin murmured.

“You don’t remember anything else?” the blonde haired dwarf questioned.

“I think… my name might be Harry. Everything else is… gone,” Harry replied.

“Don’t worry about it, lad. It’s possible that the memories will come back in time,” Oin soothed.

“What if they don’t? I don’t know anything. I don’t remember where I come from or even if Harry is my real name! Who are you people? Where am I?” Harry cried, hoping that he wasn’t being too dramatic.

“I am Oin, son of Groin, at your service,” the healer gently informed him. Not at all put out by his shouting.

“My name is Fili, son of Vili. This is my brother Kili,” the blonde haired dwarf, Fili, nodded to the dark haired dwarf. “We are currently headed back towards our home in Ered Luin also called the Blue Mountains. We’ve been on a trading expedition in the east.”

“One of our scouts caught sight of the orcs’ trail, and we couldn’t just let orcs just waltz freely so close to our land. Who knows what they were planning? We went after them. They tried to run like the cowards that they were. So we gave chase and killed them all!” Kili cheered.

It was a relief to finally know their names although he was a little confused by the rhyming names. It must have been a dwarf thing. He just hoped he didn’t get them mixed up.

“Thank you for all your help. I apologize for my outburst. You’ve been kind,” Harry apologized.

“Think nothing of it, laddie. I’m a healer, I’m used to it,” Oin waved him away.

“I shot the orc that was carrying you, and the warg,” Kili stated proudly, flashing the bow at his back. “Most dwarves don’t see using a bow as the mark of a true warrior. But I was the one to kill an orc and a warg all by myself.”

“And he’s quite modest about it, too,” Fili flashed his brother a grin.

Harry didn’t mind. He just smiled at the brown haired dwarf. “Thank you too, then. It looks like you all saved my life.”

“We’re just glad you’re finally awake,” Fili said.

“Why? How long was I asleep for?” Harry questioned in surprise.

“Two days. You vomited all of that nasty black stuff the first day, and kept mumbling something about hog warts. You have very strange dreams my friend. Why would anyone dream about hog warts?” Kili looked perplexed.

Harry flushed, hoping that they hadn’t heard anything else strange. If they had, hopefully they just thought it was due to him being delirious.

“I don’t know, I don’t remember dreaming,” Harry explained.

“We thought you were a goner for sure. We even took—” Kili was cut off.

Fili elbowed him. “What my brother means to say is that you were strong to have survived capture by orcs.”

“I wonder why they captured you? I didn’t think orcs took live prisoners,” Kili frowned.

“They take slaves sometimes. But only those they would find useful,” Oin told them looking grim.

Fili and Kili looked appropriately unsettled, wondering what sorts of traits an orc would deem useful. Harry couldn’t imagine a life as an orc’s slave. The small amount of time he’d spent in their company was more than enough for him.

“What am I going to do now?” Harry asked into the silence.

It was a question that Harry was really asking himself. Should he try to find his father or should he try and find a way back to Earth? Of course there was the more immediate question of where he would go right now. He was injured, and in a world he knew nothing about. Even he knew that he couldn’t just go running off. He needed a place to stay, to heal and learn about the world he was in. Would the dwarves let him stay with them?

“Our plan was to get you back to your kin as soon as possible once we had reached the mountains, and got you healed up enough to travel properly. There are always caravans going to and from the mountains. However, since you don’t remember where you’re from our options are limited. We’ll have to come up with another plan. Perhaps if we get you back to a city of Men someone will recognize you, and get you back to your kin. We would have dropped you off with your own people from the start but we’ve long since left behind any human settlements,” Oin explained.

“You could stay with us for a bit,” Kili offered.

Fili shot him a glare, and Harry heard him hiss something about inviting strangers into their home at Kili.

“That’s all right. You really don’t have to do that. Once I’ve healed a bit. I’m sure I’ll be fine on my own,” Harry said confidently.

But really he was panicking just a bit. This world was unfamiliar to him. Harry barely knew anything about it, and he’d already been attacked once. The dwarves had been friendly and helpful but he could tell they were a bit leery of him. There were humans here at least. He knew that much by the dwarves’ reaction to him, and while they weren’t enemies they didn’t seem to be the best of friends either. However, if it came down to it Harry would make his way on his own. He’d had to face plenty of things on his own. It never hurt to have some friends on his side.

“You’ll be staying close to me until you’ve healed properly, which I expect should be about a month or more depending on how much rest you give that leg,” Oin stated firmly.

“Thank you,” Harry murmured.

“Nonsense, you’re my patient. You aren’t getting rid of me that easily, lad,” Oin sniffed.

Harry chuckled but was grateful that he would at least have a place to stay for the next month. Hopefully it would be enough to get familiar with this world.

“Now back to important matters, what do you know, laddie?” Oin asked.

“Nothing,” Harry answered honestly.

Oin frowned and started asking him questions about various places, and different types of people. Harry couldn’t give him an answer to any of his questions. Luckily his honest confusion and lack of knowledge easily showed through making his memory loss all the more plausible.

“Your memory loss is worse than I feared. Fili, Kili, I reluctantly leave you with the task of helping our guest learn a bit about the ways of the world. I need to go and check on a few other patients, and consult Thorin. You two scoundrels best not give him any incorrect information,” Oin warned. “Understood?”

“Of course not, Oin, who do you think we are?” Kili looked insulted despite the mischievous look in his brown eyes.

“We won’t, we promise,” Fili assured looking a bit more trustworthy than his brother.

Oin gave them one more harsh look before falling back in the line to check up on another dwarf who’d been injured in the fight.

“I meant no personal insult to you, Harry. But you are as much a stranger to us as you are to yourself. We’ve never been very sociable with other races, and we’ve learned the hard way to rely only on ourselves. We don’t interact very often with Men. Only when it is necessary for trade,” Fili told him gently.

“It’s all right. I understand. I’m not insulted,” Harry assured.

Fili looked relieved, and Kili quickly started to tell him all about the dwarves. Well, everything that wasn’t a secret of course. Dwarves or dwarrows were apparently a very private people. They even had their own secret language that they only spoke amongst themselves when no other race was around. Through Fili and Kili, Harry soon learned that dwarves were crafters and warriors. They worked with metal, and gemstones to create all sorts of things. Harry was fascinated to learn that they actually lived inside mountains. They built entire cities inside them where they spent their entire lives mining and working. They hardly ever left except for trade and what not since they didn’t grow their own food. This had only been the third such trade journey that the two of them had been on.

Fili and Kili were all too eager to share more about their antics especially once Harry proved to be an eager student. Through Fili and Kili’s ramblings Harry learned a bit about the other races of Middle Earth, which was apparently what this world was known as by most. The humans were wide spread having various kingdoms and towns throughout Middle Earth. They were the same as the humans he was familiar with but were often referred to as the race of Men. Their way of life seemed similar to what Harry knew about medieval times.

There were elves, who Kili and Fili and all dwarves apparently didn’t quite get along with. They were nothing like house elves. From Fili and Kili’s tales they were the same size as humans but stick thin with big pointy ears. They were immortal as opposed to the dwarves who could live for several hundreds of years. Other races thought they were beautiful but Kili and Fili both insisted that they didn’t see the attraction themselves. Elves were apparently very irritating, and thought themselves better than everyone else. They lived in forests and didn’t interact much with the other races of Middle Earth. Or at least that’s what Fili and Kili told him. It was hard to tell how much of it was true considering their obvious dislike of elves.

There were also hobbits, which were apparently creatures that were even smaller than dwarves. Kili seemed to think they were some sort of miniature elf but Fili insisted they were a separate race. They had big feet and lived in holes in the ground, and that was really the extent of the knowledge that the dwarf brothers knew about them.

Fili and Kili went on to list the darker creatures of Middle Earth such as trolls and goblins. Both seemed to be quite a bit different from the trolls and goblins of the magical world. Fili and Kili did mention dragons briefly but despite Harry’s questions they didn’t want to talk much about them. They only said that there were still one or two around but that an actual dragon hadn’t flown through the skies of Middle Earth in a couple hundred years. It was disappointing but Harry didn’t want to push them for information or seem too interested in the subject.

Wizards were briefly mentioned as well but Kili and Fili knew even less about wizards than they did about hobbits. In fact they only knew of two. It was a little disheartening. Harry knew there was magic here. He could sense it in the air, and he was obviously still able to use it. But would there be anyone who could help him get back to England?

“How is the education of our injured guest coming? You’re not giving him false information are you?” came a deep voice.

Harry turned to see yet another dwarf draw up beside the wagon. This one was majestic in his bearing. It was all Harry could think of to describe the dwarf who carried himself with such confidence. He had thick black hair shot through with small strands of silver, and a couple of braids that were simple but elegant. His eyes were a bright blue, which matched his worn but fine clothing.

He gave Harry a probing look before dismissing him.

“Of course not, uncle. Our lessons are going very well. Balin would be pleased,” Fili assured. “Of course it helps that Harry is a very good student.”

“Harry allow me introduce our uncle, Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thrain, son of Thror,” Kili waved grandly to the dark haired dwarf. The dwarf certainly had enough names to warrant his majestic appearance; although he was pretty certain that no one could beat Dumbledore’s long list of names. “Uncle this is Harry.”

“Nice to meet you, sir,” Harry said, not really sure why he added on the sir. This dwarf just seemed to be more important despite the fact that his hair and beard were relatively simple in comparison to some of the others. Harry thought that he must have been a leader of some kind.

Thorin nodded back. “I’m pleased to see you have recovered. However, it is unfortunate that you don’t remember your past.”

“It’s disorienting not knowing who I am or where I’m from,” Harry replied.

“Hopefully we can find your family,” Thorin said stiltedly, it was obvious that small talk wasn’t his forte. It made things awkward because it wasn’t Harry’s either.

“I hope so, too,” Harry agreed, thinking of Smaug and the dream he’d had of him.

Thorin seemed to accept his answer, and didn’t feel any further need to talk to him. He said his goodbyes, and steered his pony back up to the front of the caravan. Harry was pleased that everyone seemed to have believed his story so far.

“Ignore uncle, he’s a big grump,” Kili said.

“Kili,” Fili rolled his eyes. “Uncle just has a lot on his mind. He has a lot of responsibilities to see to. But he does care. He was worried when everyone realized how sick you were.”

“Why was he worried?” Harry frowned.

“You may not be a dwarf but it doesn’t mean we wanted to see you die,” Fili glared.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that,” Harry backtracked. Harry just wasn’t used to having strangers care about his wellbeing. He wasn’t used to worrying about his own wellbeing at all. Harry was the one worrying about protecting everyone else. Since entering Hogwarts he’d been in danger in one form or another. It had just become second nature to him.

“It’s all right,” Fili sighed. “We understand this must be difficult for you.”

“You have no idea,” Harry sighed as well.

Fili and Kili continued to talk but Harry found himself exhausted just from the brief interaction, and he found himself easily dosing off again in the middle of their conversation. It was dark when he was gently woken again by Oin.

The caravan had stopped for the night, and they were just now ladling out supper from a large pot. Oin thought it would be a good idea for Harry to have his meal with the other dwarves. It would stretch his muscles a bit, and allow him to be introduced to the other dwarves. Oin had even enlisted the help of the large bald dwarf Harry had caught sight of earlier to help him walk the short distance to the cauldron of stew.

“Dwalin, son of Fundin, at your service,” the large bald dwarf greeted gruffly with a short nod.

“Nice to meet you, sir. I’m Harry,” Harry nodded back. “Thank you for offering to help me.”

“Enough pleasantries, laddie. I’m starving. Throw an arm around my shoulders and I’ll get you to the fire,” Dwalin said dismissively.

“Are you certain?” Harry carefully looked the dwarf over.

He was definitely more muscular than Harry. But Harry was still bigger at just a few inches under six feet, and he would be putting most of his weight on the dwarf.

“None of that. We dwarves are made to endure. We’re hewn from stone, just as Mahal made us. I am more than up to the task of carrying your skinny self a short skip and a hop to the campfire,” Dwalin snapped.

“All right then,” Harry shrugged. If he said he could do it then Harry wasn’t going to argue. Not with the knuckle-dusters that the dwarf was wearing.

Dwalin and Oin helped Harry maneuver out of the back of the wagon. There were a few twinges in his leg as it was jostled but it was far better than the way he’d felt before. Harry awkwardly put his arm around Dwalin’s shoulders, and leaned against the dwarf. The dwarf was right. He didn’t even so much as budge as Harry put most of his weight on him. It was a difficult trip over to the campfire. Harry soon learned that any pressure he put on his left leg had searing pain shooting up his spine, and made him nearly crumple to the ground. So he had to move with some awkward hops with his right one.

Once there Dwalin deposited him on a rock while Oin brought him a bowl of broth to ease him back into eating. The dwarves were all staring at him. Harry had to admit he’d never felt so much like an outsider before. Harry certainly stood out as foreign among the dwarves. He was taller than everyone in attendance, his hair was a short unruly mess, and he barely had any scruff on his face. But Harry could manage it. He’d had the entire population of Hogwarts turn against him twice after all, and the dwarves weren’t anywhere near as hostile as his fellow wizarding students had been. Harry gathered his confidence. He could do this. Let them stare, he didn’t care. Harry sat up straighter, and stared right back at the dwarves.

“Hello Harry,” Fili greeted as he and Kili dropped down on either side of him.

“Hello,” Harry quirked an eyebrow at the dwarves. The mischievous twinkle in their eyes reminded him far too much of a pair of red headed twin brothers.

“I see you made it all of the way to the campfire without falling. Good for you,” Kili grinned.

“I had help from Dwalin,” Harry explained.

“Ah, Mr. Dwalin,” Kili sighed.

“He’s our cousin. Well, distant cousin,” Fili amended.

“And our weapons and fighting instructor,” Kili added.

“Although we’ve long since surpassed his skill,” Fili boasted.

“What’s that?” Dwalin loomed up from behind them.

Fili and Kili both startled.

“We were just saying what an amazing tutor you are,” Fili flashed a bright grin.

“Maybe you can teach Harry,” Kili sent Dwalin an identical grin.

Dwalin crossed his arms over his chest looking extremely intimidating. Fili and Kili looked appropriately cowed. Satisfied Dwalin turned his attention back to Harry.

“Do you know anything about swords, boy?” Dwalin asked.

“No…” Harry answered. Not unless one counted his flailing attempts with the Sword of Gryffindor in the Chamber of Secrets.

“He doesn’t remember anything, Dwalin,” Fili reminded.

“I know that, but you do have some interesting scars on you. I wouldn’t be surprised if you had been in a couple of skirmishes, and sometimes the body remembers what the mind’s forgotten. But you are awfully young,” Dwalin looked him over thoughtfully.

“He does look like a babe. Maybe it’s the lack of a beard,” Kili agreed, eyes dancing.

“Oi! I’m not a child,” Harry said indignantly.

Harry had fought a dark lord, and technically Harry was closer to being twenty-five than fifteen. If he was interpreting his memories correctly. He wasn’t exactly certain how long he had lived as a dragon but he knew it had to have been more than five years. It was odd considering mentally he only felt fifteen.

“To a dwarf you are,” Fili teased.

“And to a dwarf _you’re_ still a child,” Dwalin said pointing to the brothers with a grin.

“We are of age!” Fili cried indignantly.

“Yes, we are definitely not children. Look at our beards,” Kili insisted, proudly displaying his.

“Well, I suppose Fili’s got a bit of one. But you? I’ve seen more fuzz on a peach,” Dwalin snorted.

Kili gave an outraged cry while Dwalin, Fili, and Harry burst into laughter at Kili’s expense. The dark haired dwarf pouted, rubbing his chin, and muttering to himself. Harry felt himself relaxing in the dwarves’ company after that. Really they weren’t all that different. It was easy to sit back and listen to them tell stories, and joke and laugh. The dwarves were a rather merry bunch of people.

Kili eventually recovered from his pout and proceeded to tell Harry a bit about the time they painted Dwalin’s beard green when they were young, and how it had stayed dyed for over a month. Dwalin caught them telling him the story and quickly told him about his revenge. He’d chased the two dwarflings across half the mountain before catching them and stringing them up by their toes. Harry laughed at the brothers’ sheepish expressions, and Dwalin’s fierce grin.

Eventually Thorin and Oin joined their little group. Thorin and Dwalin were interested in knowing more about the orc attack, and Oin just wanted to keep an eye on him.

“You know nothing of their plans?” Thorin demanded shrewdly.

“Honestly, I barely remember my time with them. It’s all a blur,” Harry shuddered in remembrance of the icy numbness.

“Aye, we saved a canteen of that black ooze. I’m going to study it a bit once we’ve reached the mountains. The foul brew could even be the cause for your lack of memories,” Oin spoke up.

“Don’t let anyone try it. It’s awful. You can’t move or think. It’s like having a fever or dreaming while you’re awake,” Harry murmured his arms coming up to wrap themselves around his body.

“You’re safe now, laddie, the orcs are dead,” Oin assured him.

“I don’t know what they were going to do with me,” Harry whispered.

“They are cruel beasts who have little reason behind the things they do,” Thorin growled.

“They mentioned a master, I think,” Harry risked telling them, wanting to know if they knew anything about it.

“Master? I haven’t heard them call someone master since…” Dwalin frowned glancing at Thorin.

“He’s dead. He died of his wounds,” Thorin growled fiercely.

Kili wanted to know who Thorin was talking about but the older dwarf refused, which was disappointing to Harry. That information could have really helped him.

The evening rounded out with a merry song from one of the other dwarves before everyone settled into their beds. Fili and Kili helped Harry back into the wagon, and settled down beside him. Fili had seemingly gotten over his suspicions of Harry during their conversations with one another. He wasn’t certain if the brothers wanted to be friends or if they were just curious about him because of the fact that he had been captured by orcs. Harry hoped it was the first. The brothers were fun, and Harry could certainly use a few friends in this familiar but unfamiliar world.

///

It took them another week and a half before their little caravan reached the entrance to the dwarfish city within the Blue Mountains. It wasn’t disappointing in the least. The carved out halls of the mountain city was like nothing Harry had ever seen before. He didn’t understand how it could all be standing without the aid of magic.

“This city is nothing compared to the splendor of Erebor,” Thorin stated gruffly when Harry expressed his amazement over the city.

“Erebor?” Harry frowned.

“Here we go,” Kili muttered under his breath.

Kili and Fili each had one of Harry’s arms across their shoulders. They had been helping him make his way through the mountain halls. Thorin had followed them. He was their uncle after all, and they lived in the same quarters as Fili, Kili, and their mother. Despite Fili and Thorin’s initial hesitation they had deemed him trustworthy or at least they had deemed him harmless. They had extended an offer to stay with them until they could get Harry back to a human city. Or it could have been that Thorin wanted to keep him close so he could keep an eye on him in the invent that he remembered anything else about the orcs.

“Our true home. It was taken from us many years ago, and no other place can ever compare to its beauty. The halls were overflowing with gold and wealth. It was the greatest of all the dwarf kingdoms. However, this is also what attracted the dragon to it,” Thorin gave him a sardonic grin.

“Dragon?” Harry choked out, the blood rushing loudly through his ears.

“Yes, the great wyrm destroyed our home, taking it for his own. No one came to our aid, and so we wandered for many years before settling here. It has taken us many years to get the mountain in the condition it is now, and yet it is still much cruder than anything we had before,” Thorin’s gaze was distant, and Harry realized he was probably remembering the attack.

Harry felt a stab of pain. It looked like dragons weren’t exactly the kindest creatures or at least that particular dragon wasn’t. The dwarves obviously didn’t like them, and who could blame them when one of them had stolen their home? Harry knew then that he definitely couldn’t tell them what he was. His budding friendship with Fili and Kili was sure to end faster than Snape could take points from Gryffindor if they found out. Their uncle looked like he might actually try to kill him if he found out the truth. Harry comforted himself with the fact that it couldn’t have been his father to have taken their home. After all, this dragon had been in Erebor for over a century. Harry knew for certain that he and his father hadn’t lived in anything but a plain old cave together, and that had only been a little over ten years ago.

Fili and Kili pointed out various landmarks in the city. When they had said city Harry hadn’t really grasp the concept. He hadn’t actually thought there could be an actual city beneath a mountain. But there was. Stone bridges passed as streets. They crisscrossed above and below his head. Carved stone stairways carried them up and down the various levels. There was a market place with lines of shops and stalls. Then there were the residential areas. Fili, Kili, and their uncle lived in the more affluent part of the mountain. The twists and turns to get there were worse than Hogwarts, and it was only Harry’s newly developed eidetic memory that allowed him to remember the way.

Their quarters turned out to be much nicer than Harry had been expecting of living inside a mountain. They weren’t anything grand but they were very homey. It was set up just like a flat. There was a living room, bedrooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom. He’d been expecting a cave or something. The rooms had all been carved into smooth, level walls and floors. Worn woven rugs lay across the floors, and tapestries hung from the stone walls adding warmth and color. Intricate symbols had also been carved into the walls and doorways. A warm fire was roaring in the main living area.

A dwarf woman burst out from one of the adjoining rooms. Or Harry was pretty sure that she was a woman. He knew enough about dwarves now to know that the women had beards too, and he was slowly picking out the clues to be able to tell them apart. She was wearing a tunic like dress and her black beard and hair were elegantly woven with more jewels and beads than the men.

“Harry this is our amad, the loveliest dwarrowdam in all of Middle Earth, Lady Dis,” Kili announced proudly.

“Amad meet Harry. He’ll be staying with us for a bit,” Fili introduced.

“Will he now?” Dis raised one elegantly braided eyebrow.

Her sharp blue eyes that were very much like her brother’s looked him over closely. Harry sent her what he hoped was a winning smile.

“Harry was kidnapped by orcs, amad. We killed them,” Kili explained.

“Orcs? You fought orcs,” Dis’ eyes narrowed on Thorin.

Harry was awed to realize that Thorin actually looked sheepish, and a bit terrified.

“There were only ten of them,” Thorin mumbled.

“And seventeen wargs,” Kili added cheerfully, completely unaware that he was digging a deeper hole for his uncle.

“Seventeen!” she cried, glaring daggers at Thorin now.

“No one was severely hurt, and as you can see Fili and Kili didn’t even get a scratch,” Thorin insisted.

“I even killed my first orc and warg,” Kili informed her proudly.

Dis visibly had to force herself to calm down, and she took several deep breaths. “I suppose it was bound to happen sooner or later. My boys are growing up,” she sighed eventually.

“We’re already grown up,” Fili muttered.

“Does no one see us as adults?” Kili agreed.

“You’ll always be my dwarflings,” Dis cooed, a mischievous glint in her eyes. Harry could see where her sons got it from.

“It doesn’t help when you’re always playing pranks like dwarflings,” Thorin muttered.

“They did save my life,” Harry offered.

Dis sent proud smiles towards both of her sons. “They get it from me.”

Thorin snorted. “Oh yes, orcs flee at the mere mention of your name.”

Dis shot him a glare. Thorin smirked back looking more relaxed than Harry had seen him since meeting him.

“I’d like to welcome you, Harry, to our home,” Dis said as she turned her attention back to Harry.

“Thank you, ma’am,” Harry dipped his head in an awkward bow. It was the best he could do when he wasn’t quite able to stand on his own two feet yet.

“Call me Dis. I’ll have none of this ma’am,” she told him sternly.

“All right,” Harry agreed easily.

“Now, Harry, why don’t we find a place for you to sit and you can tell me just what happened,” Dis commanded.

Fili and Kili helped him over to a couch, and helped to lower him onto it. Harry had to admit it was difficult being in a place where everything was too small for him. Dis sat down in a chair in front of him and proceeded to ask about the list of events. She was very sympathetic to his loss of memories, and assured him that he was welcome to stay until they could find his family. It was a relief to have the offer.

After their talk Dis cooked them a nice meal, and they all settled in to eat. Harry was more than happy to sit back and listen as the obviously close family caught up with one another. They’d been separated for several months, and they had a lot to catch up. Harry felt like he was intruding especially considering he wasn’t being as honest as he could have been with his hosts. The feelings of guilt prompted Harry to ask what he could do to repay them.

“What do you mean, Harry?” Dis asked with a frown.

“There must be something I can do to pay you back for all your help,” Harry insisted.

The Dursleys had often ingrained in his head that he was a burden and that he needed to earn his keep. When he’d stayed with the Weasleys he hadn’t felt quite the same way. They had been his friends, and like a second family to him. They didn’t expect Harry to pay them back for his room and board. Harry was a still a relative stranger to these dwarves. He hadn’t told them a thing about himself. Food seemed like it was much harder to come by in this world where everything was done by hand, and Harry felt like another mouth to feed couldn’t be an easy task to take on. The dwarves didn’t seem to have a lot of wealth lying around after losing everything to a dragon. He didn’t want them to see him as a burden.

“You don’t need to do anything, Harry. You are an injured child. I would just hope that if my own sons were injured that someone would do the same,” Dis soothed.

“I don’t want to be a burden,” Harry murmured.

“You are not,” Thorin said sharply.

Harry stared stubbornly at Thorin. “I would still like to help out if you need it.”

“Very well,” Thorin acquiesced, a look of understanding passing over his features.

“You can stay in Fili and Kili’s room. If you can help them clean out the pig pen they call a room you’ll have paid us back tenfold,” Dis said with a grin.

“It’s not that bad,” Fili muttered.

“I think there are things growing in there,” Dis stated flatly.

Fili and Kili shared a worried glance before quickly reassuring Harry that their room was just fine. After that the dwarves made sure to include him in their conversations a little bit more, which Harry was grateful. It certainly helped to make him feel a little less homesick to have found a place among friendly people.

That night after straightening out Fili and Kili’s room a bit Dis helped to make a pallet on the floor for him between the brothers’ beds. It was comfortable, and more than he had when he had lived in a cupboard under the stairs. At least the dwarves weren’t purposely refusing to provide him with a bed like his relatives. They’d given him what they could. Curled up on his new bed Harry let his mind drift back to Hogwarts. It’d been over two weeks since his arrival here. Maybe more since he didn’t exactly remember how long he’d been with the orcs. He wondered if his friends even knew what happened to him.

Living in Middle Earth was going to be a huge adjustment. It truly was a completely different world. Despite the initial hiccup with the orcs Harry was actually looking forward to learning more about this world. It was where he was born, it was where he would have grown up if whatever happened hadn’t happened. Of course he was grateful to have the chance to have gone to Hogwarts and meet all his friends. Now, he wanted to give Middle Earth a chance.

“Harry? Are you asleep?” Kili’s whisper suddenly drew him out of his thoughts.

When Harry didn’t immediately respond something hit him.

“Did you just throw your boot at me?” Harry demanded.

“Let’s tell scary stories,” Kili suggested.

“Mahal’s beard, we really aren’t children anymore, Kili,” Fili cried.

“You know you want to,” Kili sing-songed.

Fili chuckled, “You asked for it.”

Soon he was telling some ghost story that had Kili appropriately terrified. Harry could never take ghost stories seriously after having met the ghosts of Hogwarts. Kili however ended up jumping on Harry, and giving a loud shriek when Harry decided to tickle his feet during a particularly scary moment in the story. Fili was crying he was laughing so hard. Kili muttered about revenge as he climbed back into his bed.

“Go to sleep!” Thorin roared from his room.

Thorin’s command effectively got them all to settle down. As Harry laid back down he was feeling a lot better about his situation. Living with Fili and Kili looked like it was going to be a lot like living in the Gryffindor dorms. It settled Harry’s nerves. He could do this. He would do this.

///

In the days that followed Harry settled into life with the dwarves. Oin came to check on his leg once a day. It was getting better all the time, and before long Harry was able to stand up for short periods of time and move around on his own for small distances with the help of a crutch Fili had fashioned for him. He started to help Dis out in the kitchen. It was a lot less advanced than what he was used to but a lot of the basics of cooking were still the same, and dwarves were surprisingly innovative. Dis and the others were all pleasantly surprised by his cooking skills. Kili proclaimed that Harry was a much better cook than Dis, a comment that quickly earned him a smack to the back of his head from his mother.

Harry quickly learned that the dwarves he was living with weren’t just normal dwarves. They were royalty and were descended from a long line of dwarfish nobility. They often attended all sorts of council meetings to help with the running of the city. They had built this city from the ground up after years of wandering homeless after their previous home had been stolen from them. Thorin was technically a king even though a dragon had taken his kingdom. The majority of his people still looked to him to lead them, and Thorin had worked hard to find a safe place for his people to settle. But Harry knew that Thorin wanted to get his kingdom back, and that while the conditions in the Blue Mountains were good they were hard on the dwarves.

The more time he spent with the dwarves the closer he grew to them. Fili and Kili had become good friends. They pulled him along to watch their weapon’s training, and to their lessons with Balin. When he wasn’t with the brothers he was with Dis. For a society that was still in the medieval ages Harry had been expecting women to not have a large role in the running of things but that wasn’t the case with dwarves. Dis was just as well educated as Thorin, and used that education to help better the lives of her people. Dis wasn’t always at meetings, though, and while Harry was still fairly immobile she spent time with him in their quarters. Mostly she told him about the world of Men, and their kingdoms since he was expected to one day return to them but sometimes she would slip in a dwarfish fable here and there.

Harry was growing attached to his life with the dwarves. He knew he should be looking for a way home or finding his birth father. But he didn’t want to leave just yet. He liked living with the dwarves. For the first time in his life he was just Harry. He had no past, and there was no pressure on what he should do with his future. No one knew or revered him as the Boy Who Lived, Defeater of Voldemort. The dwarves liked him just for being himself. The only real obstacle of him extending his stay was whether or not he would be welcome to stay.

The time did eventually come when Oin declared him fully healed. Harry was fairly certain he’d been fully healed for a week or two before that but he was grateful that Oin had given him a little more time to spend in Ered Luin. When Dis and Thorin found out Harry was certain they would bring up sending him along with the next trading caravan but neither of them ever did. It was a relief. However, a part of him was just waiting for the moment that the dwarves would kick him to the curb.

It never happened.

The only thing that did come with the announcement of his healing was that Fili and Kili insisted on taking him on a complete tour of the mountain. The two of them were very familiar with every part of the mountain, and spent a lot of their time wandering around it and getting in trouble. Now that Harry was cleared to walk around on his leg they wanted Harry to join them.

“We’re here,” Fili declared as they stopped just outside a random door.

“Where is here exactly?” Harry questioned.

“Dwalin’s quarters,” Fili answered an impish smile on his face.

“And why are we here?” Harry wanted to know.

“We’re going to get my bow back,” Kili explained.

“What happened to your bow?” Harry frowned.

“That’s right, you missed it since you were helping amad that day. Kili shot in arrow in Dwalin’s backside yesterday so he took Kili’s bow, and is now holding it hostage for revenge,” Fili told him.

“You shot Dwalin?” Harry gaped.

“He was all right,” Kili flushed.

“I thought you were a good shot,” Harry teased.

“I am, I just got distracted…”

Fili snorted. “He was trying to impress some dwarrowdams.”

“Now it makes sense,” Harry smirked.

Kili looked insulted while Fili chuckled.

“You’re going to help us get it back,” Kili grinned.

“I don’t exactly want Dwalin mad at me,” Harry stated.

“He’ll never know we were here. He’s out for the day on some errand with uncle Thorin,” Fili assured.

“Where’s your sense of adventure, Harry? Or have you grown too soft in the kitchen with amad?” Kili demanded.

“Have you met your mother? The way she wields a frying pan is terrifying,” Harry stated dryly.

Kili and Fili paused looks of fear on their faces as they were momentarily caught in memories of Dis and her deadly frying pan.

“All right, so amad’s not soft. But you should still help us just for the fun of it,” Kili grinned winningly.

Harry had to admit sneaking into Dwalin’s quarters wasn’t as big of a risk as entering the Chamber of Secrets. The worst the large dwarrow would do was chase them down and box their ears.

“Fine, how are we going to do this?” Harry sighed, just a tad bit excited about what was to come.

It was quickly decided that Kili would stand as the lookout while Fili and Harry made their way into Dwalin’s quarters. The dwarf warrior certainly had enough weapons strewn everywhere. Fili and he had to sift through them to find Kili’s bow. Once they got it they quickly made their way towards the door only for Kili to burst in with a bucket of dye and a wild grin.

“Let’s dye all of his clothes,” Kili suggested.

Finally catching the brothers’ infectious playfulness Harry could only laugh and go along with the prank. Unfortunately, with all three of them working to quickly dunk Dwalin’s clothes in the ugly lime green dye they didn’t have a lookout any more.

“By my beard! What are you three scoundrels doing to my underthings!?” Dwalin roared from the doorway.

“Run for your lives!” Kili cried.

Harry had a lot of experience in running for his life and didn’t need to be told twice. Dwalin tried to halt their escape but with three of them dodging past him he couldn’t quite keep up. They made it out into the hallways giggling like first years up past curfew for the first time. Dwalin was hot on their heels snarling and muttering curses in Khuzdul. Fili led them on a crazy path of twists and turns where they eventually evaded Dwalin. The three of them holed up in a hidden alcove to wait out Dwalin’s anger. They scrunched in the small space legs and arms tangled up and their bodies squashed. But Harry hadn’t laughed this much or had this much fun since he came to Middle Earth. He forgot all about his other problems and simply did something stupid.

Sitting there with Fili and Kili he felt the bond between them grow stronger. Harry never thought he’d have any friends as close as Ron and Hermione. He’d never thought he’d have friends at all before Hogwarts. While Fili and Kili weren’t replacing Ron and Hermione it didn’t mean that they weren’t becoming just as close as he had been with them. It was a good feeling. Harry didn’t even mind that when they finally pulled themselves from their hiding place Dwalin was waiting to dump a pail of vibrant blue dye on them.

“At least it’s a nice color,” Harry said later that night after several baths.

They’d already received a scolding from Dis and Thorin but it had turned half-hearted once they saw that the dye wasn’t coming out anytime soon.

“Easy for you to say, you and Kili have dark hair. My skin, hair, and _beard_ are blue,” Fili cried in distress.

“It’ll go away… eventually,” Dis grinned evilly.

Harry snorted as Fili and Kili groaned, and their heads thunked down on the table. That one adventure set the stage for the rest of Harry’s time with Fili and Kili. He happily joined them on all their misadventures. The two were always busy doing something whether it was pulling pranks or completing their princely duties. It kept his mind off of being homesick, and wondering when the dwarves would finally send him packing.

One month passed and then two and Harry was still living amongst the dwarves. None of them ever brought up just how long Harry was welcome. He knew that some dwarves didn’t enjoy having what they thought was a child of Men around. The dwarves that he had come to see as his friends never seemed to mind, and Harry supposed that’s what truly mattered. Harry just wanted to know how long he would be welcomed with the dwarves. That’s why he decided to approach Thorin to set the matter straight.

He caught the exiled dwarf king just in time. Thorin was preparing for a trip. There had been rumors that his father Thrain had been spotted in Dunland, and Thorin was going to see if they were true. While Thorin didn’t hate Harry it didn’t mean that the two of them had spent a lot of time together despite living in the same quarters. Thorin was always busy doing something, and rarely had a lot of time for his nephews let alone the random teenager they had picked up on the side of the road.

“Hello, Harry. What do you need?” Thorin greeted when Harry approached him.

“I wanted to ask why you haven’t made me leave yet,” Harry explained.

“Do you wish to leave?” he asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

“No,” Harry answered honestly.

“Then you may stay,” Thorin replied easily.

“Really? Why? I’ve learned a lot about dwarves these last few months. It’s not that I’m not grateful for you letting me stay its just I know it isn’t something you would normally allow,” Harry said in disbelief.

Thorin was quiet for a moment, finishing up his packing. “Many of us know what it is to be homeless. To not have anywhere to go or have anyone to turn to. Everyone turned their backs on us when we lost Erebor. We lost everything. You may not be a dwarf but you have lost everything. So until you find your way, you are welcome to remain amongst us. You have proven yourself to be respectable and kind. My nephews enjoy your company. Although I do not understand how you could enjoy theirs. I believe they have in fact been bad influences on you.”

Harry laughed. “They’re not that bad.”

“No, they’re not. They’re nowhere near as bad as their mother was. She was a true terror,” Thorin chuckled.

“Thank you, for letting me stay. I know I can’t actually stay forever. I have to face who I really am eventually but for now there’s no place I’d rather be,” Harry smiled.

Thorin smiled proudly, “We dwarves are the greatest race in all of Middle Earth.”

Harry nodded, and said his goodbyes to Thorin. He wished him luck in finding his father.

Harry decided it was time he start looking for own. He had decided that he wanted to try looking for his father before he started looking for a way to get back to Earth. He wanted the chance to meet his father before he even thought about going back.

Now that he knew he was welcome to stay he felt comfortable enough to take up Dwalin’s brother Balin’s offer to teach him how to read Westron, the common language throughout Middle Earth. Harry could speak it thanks to having learned it when he was younger but Smaug had never taught him to read. It was slightly embarrassing not knowing how to read. But Balin was a great teacher. He had taught Fili and Kili so he had an endless supply of patience. When he didn’t have the time to teach he would send Ori.

The younger dwarf was a scribe. He was exceedingly kind yet awkward. At first he was shy and nervous in Harry’s presence. He warmed up quickly enough when Harry proved he was eager to learn. Ori had a passion for books that wasn’t unlike Hermione, and was an incredible artist. He was constantly carrying several books at a time, and was very insistent about teaching Harry how to write as well as read. He also had an interest in adventures and talked a lot about traveling Middle Earth someday so that he could write his own book of his travels.

Studying had never been something that Harry was interested in. Whenever he actually needed to learn something there was always Hermione who was willing to do all the research for him. For the first time in his life Harry was on his own. He couldn’t rely on Hermione to do this for him. He had to be the one to learn how to read Westron, and he would have to be the one to start researching Middle Earth if he was going to find his father.

Harry just hadn’t been expecting to find his father in such a way. Ori and he had been reading about the Sack of Erebor together. Ori’s family was from Erebor, and that’s where his family were all from. Ori was been born after so he had never actually gotten the chance to see the Lonely Moutain but he liked reading up about it. Harry had been all too eager to learn more about the attack both because it directly affected the dwarves he was living with, and because it involved a dragon. Harry hardly knew anything about the history of Middle Earth’s dragons, which meant he hardly knew anything about himself and his own capabilities and weaknesses.

“The first they heard was a noise like a hurricane, coming down from the North. The pines on the mountain creaked and cracked in the hot dry wind. It wasn’t long before they realized it was a dragon. He was a firedrake from the North. Smaug had come,” Ori read.

“Wait, what was the dragon’s name?” Harry demanded. He couldn’t have possibly heard Ori correctly.

“Oh, its, um, its Smaug,” Ori repeated, startled out of his reading.

“Right,” Harry breathed.

Of course it was. Of course it had to be his birth father to have destroyed the home of the dwarves he’d befriended. But something didn’t add up. How could Smaug have taken Erebor hundreds of years ago? Harry had been living with him in a regular old cave just a little over ten years ago. Unless, time passed more quickly here or perhaps when Harry had been pulled back he’d been brought back into the future? Thinking about the logistics of it made his head hurt. The truly important matter at the moment was that his father had taken the home of these dwarves. He’d killed their family members for no other reason than to take their wealth. Harry wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He couldn’t reconcile the warm memories he had of Smaug with the vicious, pitiless beast Ori was describing to him.

“Such wanton death was dealt that day, for the city of Dale was nothing to Smaug. His eye was set on another prize, for dragons covet gold with a dark and fierce desire. Erebor was lost. For a dragon will guard his plunder as long as he lives,” Ori continued to read having no idea the inner turmoil that Harry was experiencing.

The location of his father had been discovered but now Harry wasn’t so sure if he wanted to meet him.

“It’s all right, Harry,” Ori suddenly assured.

“Er… sorry what?” Harry frowned.

“I know it all sounds pretty terrible but we dwarves are doing pretty well here in the Blue Mountains. Thorin did a good job in providing for us, and our wandering days are far behind us,” Ori said.

“I’m glad,” Harry nodded, grateful that Ori seemed to think he was upset because he was worried about the dwarves. In part he was. After all they had suffered a lot. Kili and Fili had told him about their great grandfather, and their grandfather’s fates.

“We can switch to another subject if you’d like?” Ori offered gently.

“Yeah, maybe that’d be for the best,” Harry agreed.

Ori pulled out another book about the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. Harry listened halfheartedly. His mind still turning over and over what Smaug had done.

Over the next several days Harry spent his time avoiding everyone. He needed time alone. The discovery of what Smaug had done had him questioning himself, and just what it truly meant to be a dragon. The dragons of this world were considered dark creatures. Harry hadn’t felt quite so homesick in a long time.

Fili and Kili however didn’t like his self-imposed isolation. They jumped out at him one afternoon. They each grabbed hold of one his arms, and started dragging him along behind them. Dwarves were surprisingly strong despite their shorter stature.

“Why are you two kidnapping me?” Harry asked in exasperation.

“We thought you were spending too much time by yourself,” Kili exclaimed.

“Something is obviously bothering you, and we can’t have our favorite child of Man upset,” Fili agreed.

“Where are we going?” Harry wanted to know.

“The forge,” Fili grinned.

Harry was surprised. Forges were something that was private to the dwarves. Some families even had their own personal forges that only family members were allowed to access. Harry thought that this was the case with Durin’s main line. The crafting and shaping of metals was a very secretive process for them. But Fili and Kili were bringing him along anyway. He was fairly certain if Thorin was here and knew what they were up to he’d put a stop to it.

Harry almost wished that he were here to stop them. Before now he had been more than happy to stay far away from the dwarves’ crafting. The dwarves weren’t just masters of forging weapons. They also worked closely with the more precious of metals, and gems. There wasn’t as much of it available here in Ered Luin as there had been in Erebor but the dwarves’ skills in mining still produced enough of it to earn a living in trade. Enough of it to leave Harry’s hands shaking at the sight of all the trinkets they wore.

When the curse keeping him bound in his human form had broken, Harry had noticed his sudden interest in golden and precious gems. Money and wealth had never mattered much to Harry before but suddenly he found himself picking up odd bits and pieces whether they belonged to him or not. He found himself tucking them away in his bed, and didn’t even mind when the sharp angles poked and prodded him at night. It was only when Remus happened to catch him in the act that Sirius and Remus confronted him about the hoarding. Harry had snapped at them at first but he quickly realized just how bizarre his behavior was. With their help he did his best to try and resist the pull that gold had on him. It was easier to resist when there was only a small amount. The more gold the more aggressive he was about it.

The behavior was unnerving to Harry, and he was embarrassed about the way he reacted towards Remus and Sirius when they tried to take his small hoard. Harry had even kept his gold obsession a secret from Ron and Hermione. He had been determined to keep it hidden until he had gotten a hold on it. Harry had been making a bit of progress with resisting larger and larger amounts of gold thanks to a technique called Occlumency. It helped to organize his mind and build walls around the part of him that was gold obsessed. He’d tried to keep up with his lessons on his own but he had plateaued. Harry didn’t know enough about Occlumency to advanced his training any further. He’d been using every last bit of his instruction to resist the temptation of the few bits of gold that the dwarves wore, and he strictly avoided putting himself in situations where there were large amounts of it.

Harry could only hope that Fili and Kili were going to be working on some new weapons rather than any new jewelry pieces. He knew that Fili was quite skilled in crafting swords and knives. He always had enough of his own handcrafted pieces on him for a small army. Out of necessity he was capable of making jewelry as well. One of the dwarves’ largest livelihoods was making jewelry to be sold among humans. But that meant that Fili and Kili were likely to be working with something that would get Harry’s attention. It made Harry extremely anxious not knowing which one he would be facing.

Harry loosed a loud sigh of relief when they got to the forge, and Fili pulled out the designs for a new sword he wanted to start working on. It was an interesting process to watch as Fili and Kili worked seamlessly together. They knew who needed to do what, and how to move around each other. They barely even needed to speak. Fili was the one who actually enjoyed the process of crafting. But since the two brothers were rarely ever separate, Kili joined him on whatever project he was currently working on, and was just as accomplished as his brother in his work.

“Why did you bring me down here?” Harry asked, looking around the forge with interest.

“Because it’s relaxing. Whenever I want to get away or think about something I come down here. No one ever bothers me here,” Fili answered with a content smile. “Except Kili.”

“Oi!” Kili cried, faking offense.

“I suppose it does have its appeal,” watching the flames and sparks of the forge was soothing to Harry although, it would never be able to compare to flying in Harry’s eyes.

He chatted with Fili and Kili about his progress with his reading lessons, and they talked about going on a hunting trip. Harry had been relaxing into their conversation when Kili suddenly brought out a crate full of gold. It was a small crate but it was more than Harry had seen in a long time.

As if from a distance Harry could hear Fili say something about making golden hairpins for the next trading expedition. His gaze was locked on the gold. It was so beautiful even unrefined it was lovely. Harry wanted it and nothing else mattered but getting it. He didn’t even realize that he had stood, and was stalking towards Kili.

“Harry?” Fili called.

But he ignored him. He didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was getting the gold. The dwarves wouldn’t be able to do a thing to stop him. Harry didn’t even realize that he had shoved Kili who went flying backwards from the unnecessary use of his strength. He only cared that he finally held the gold in his hands. There was almost a thrumming energy that seemed to be calling to him from the gold. It was only when he was hit hard from behind that he was momentarily able to shake himself free from the gold madness.

Harry dropped the gold, and turned to see Fili standing with a sword raised towards him, standing between Harry and his brother. Fili looked confused and horrified. The fear in his blue eyes had Harry recoiling, shocked and disgusted by his own behavior. Kili was pulling himself up from the ground, wincing as he did so.

“I’m so sorry,” Harry managed to choke out.

“Harry, what happened?” Fili demanded.

“I… I…” Harry couldn’t speak. He didn’t know what to say to them.

“Your eyes,” Fili whispered, his own eyes widening even further.

Harry instantly cast his gaze to the floor trying desperately to get a hold of himself.

“What’s going on, Harry?” Kili asked coming to stand beside his brother. Harry was just grateful that he didn’t seem too badly hurt.

“There’s something I should tell you both. I should have told you before but I was afraid too,” Harry murmured. Some Gryffindor he turned out to be.

Telling Fili and Kili was the least he could. The brothers deserved to know the truth about him after all they had done for him.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Fili questioned in concern.

Haltingly Harry began to tell them everything. He told them about his life growing up in another world. It took the entire afternoon, well into dinnertime. They asked a lot of questions and wanted proof of his claims. Harry did his best to prove it to them. He’d been trying to practice wandless magic over the past several months without much success. The only spells he was capable of casting were the few fire spells that he knew. But Fili and Kili were appropriately impressed nonetheless. Then there came the most difficult part. Telling them about finding out he was a dragon and just who his birth father was.

“You’re Smaug’s son?” Kili asked in disbelief.

“A dragon?” Fili muttered equally shocked.

“Do you hate me?” Harry whispered.

“Other worlds full of wizards and magic, and the boy sleeping on our bedroom floor is a fire breathing dragon. It’s a lot to take in,” Fili answered finally. “But I think you’ve proven that you’re not anything like Smaug.”

“You can’t help who your parents are,” Kili agreed.

“You aren’t upset that I didn’t tell you sooner?” Harry asked.

“I don’t blame you for keeping it a secret. It’s not something I would want to go spreading about,” Kili replied.

“And I’m just glad you finally trusted us with the truth,” Fili assured him. “It can’t have been easy.”

“You can’t tell anyone, please,” Harry begged.

“Uncle would kill you if he found out,” Kili breathed in fear.

“We can’t exactly keep something like this a secret forever,” Fili argued.

“If there’s a way to break it to your uncle gently without him killing me on sight, then I guess I’d be all for it,” Harry agreed.

“We’ll figure something out,” Fili frowned, determination stamped across his features.

He was more the strategist of the two of them, and in certain ways he reminded Harry of Hermione. Fili was the one that constantly had to find ways to get Kili out of trouble. Not to say that Fili was as much as a stickler for the rules as Hermione was. He was just normally the mastermind behind their adventures. Kili was too reckless for planning.

“We really should go on that hunting trip now. I want to see you in your dragon shape, Harry,” Kili enthused.

“Maybe I can take you both flying,” Harry grinned.

“No, dwarrows do not fly. We stay firmly on the ground,” Fili said stubbornly.

“I’d like to try,” Kili bounced in excitement.

“Not me, this is one dwarf who will be keeping their feet firmly planted on the ground where we belong,” Fili stated folding his arms across his chest in a very familiar manner.

“We’ll see,” Kili sent Harry a conspiratorial look.

It was such a relief to finally have shared the truth with Fili and Kili, and instead of driving them away it only cemented their friendship. They planned a hunting trip for the next day. Dis wanted Dwalin to go along with them but Fili and Kili managed to convince her to let them go out on their own.

“We’re only going for the day, amad,” Fili reassured her.

“There haven’t been any orcs spotted in the area since we found Harry,” Kili added.

“All right, I suppose I have to start letting you do things on your own. I just can’t help but worry. A mother always worries,” Dis looked between her two sons, and surprisingly her gaze flitted to Harry as well.

“We’ll be careful,” Harry told her.

“Oh, come here,” Dis yanked the three of them into a tight embrace.

“Amad… Can’t. Breath,” Kili gasped.

Harry rather enjoyed it. Not that he would ever admit such a thing to Fili and Kili. He wasn’t used to people embracing him, and Dis certainly gave fierce hugs.

Dis released them. “Now the three of you get going. I want you back before dark.”

“Yes, amad,” Fili and Kili both chimed as they rushed to get their weapons.

Dis smiled as they got ready.

“Make sure they’re careful. They’re like their father, always rushing into things especially Kili,” Dis sighed.

“I’ll do my best,” Harry promised even if he wasn’t exactly the best for the job. There were too many times he’d rushed into an adventure. They’d always turned out all right in the end. But he was learning, slowly, that a little bit of caution and preparation never hurt anyone.

They set out on foot. Fili and Kili had wanted to take the ponies but Harry couldn’t exactly ride them. He was too big, and of course being a dragon he wasn’t exactly the ponies’ favorite person.

The three of them traveled on foot until they reached a secluded woods. It was there that they stopped for lunch, and to see Harry change.

“The two of you should probably step back a bit,” Harry cautioned.

Kili and Fili did just that. Harry disrobed down to his pants. It was the one thing about his change that he disliked. His clothes didn’t come with him like an animagus’s would. They ripped off him, and when he changed back he would be bare much like a werewolf’s change.

Harry took a deep breath. It’d been far too long since he’d gotten the chance to take his true form, and his body had been tense with the need to take his true shape. He’d been putting off changing completely with small shifts of his body. It didn’t make up for changing completely. The stretching of muscle and shifting of bones felt wonderful. His tail took out a few trees but at least they didn’t fall anywhere near the two dwarrows. Once the change was complete he looked towards Kili and Fili to gauge their reactions.

They were standing there wearing completely gob smacked expressions. Kili’s mouth was hanging open, and Fili’s eyes were as wide as saucers. Harry gently rested his head in front of them.

“Harry?” Fili asked cautiously.

“It’s all right, I’m still me. I just look a little different. I won’t hurt you,” Harry swore.

“This is incredible!” Kili whooped.

He was the first to stride forward, and confidently place a hand on Harry’s muzzle. Fili was a bit warier than his brother but eventually he made his way over to Harry too. The two brothers were barely as tall as Harry’s muzzle so Harry made sure to stay as still as possible as they inspected him. He wanted them to get used to him in this shape.

“Your scales are just like ebony,” Fili breathed.

“Your claws and teeth are so sharp,” Kili equally amazed.

Harry couldn’t help but preen at their compliments. He had never been very vain about his human appearance but he did quite enjoy the awe he inspired when in his dragon form.

“Let’s see you fly!” Kili cried.

“Maybe another time,” Fili cautioned. “We’re too close to the mountains. Someone might see him. A black dragon would stand out far too much in the middle of the day.”

“You’re right,” Harry agreed dejectedly. There was nothing he wanted more than the chance to stretch his wings.

Kili slumped in disappointment as well. But he understood the need for secrecy too.

“You can ride on my back for a bit,” Harry offered.

He wanted to at least go for a little walk to stretch his legs.

Kili smiled brightly. Harry lowered himself as close to the ground as he possibly could. Kili attempted to scramble up his side but Harry’s back was far too high for Kili to reach. Fili had to boost him up into the junction where his neck met his shoulder.

“I would like to take a moment to commemorate this grand event. I, Kili, son of Vili am the first dwarf in all of Middle Earth to ride on a dragon’s back,” Kili declared proudly.

“All hail Kili the Dragon Tamer,” Fili bowed mockingly.

“And the second dwarf to ride on a dragon’s back is Fili, son of Vili,” Harry said as swooped down to pick Fili up by the back of his fur coat.

Fili swore in Khuzdul and squirmed a bit in Harry’s grip. Harry was certain to only gently grip his coat with his teeth before twisting his head around to drop Fili on his back.

“Welcome, brother,” Kili greeted.

“Don’t ever do that again,” Fili commanded.

“Stop being such a grump. You look just like uncle with your face scrunched up like that,” Kili teased.

“Both of you hold on. I’m going to start walking,” Harry warned.

Even though he would only be walking, his steps were still long enough to jolt the dwarf brothers free if they weren’t careful. They’d only gone a short distance when Kili insisted Harry pick up the pace.

“I’m not a pack mule,” Harry huffed, smoke drifting up from his nostrils.

“Certainly you can go faster than this even if your arms and legs are rather shaped oddly,” Kili argued.

“My limbs are not awkwardly shaped, thank you very much. I am built just the way I’m supposed to be,” Harry sniffed.

“Kili, stop encouraging him to go faster,” Fili warned.

Just to startle them both Harry did pick up the pace a bit. Dragons, or at least Harry and Smaug’s particular shapes, weren’t really built for long distance travel on land. But it didn’t mean that they weren’t capable of being quite swift on the ground. Harry only went a short distance but it was amusing to hear Kili’s whoops of joy, and Fili’s shouts to stop. Harry stopped. Fili wasted no time in sliding down his side, and onto the ground. Kili on the other hand refused to get off. Harry had to threaten to change back before he finally slipped off.

Harry returned to his human form, and the three of them spent the rest of their hunting trip actually trying to hunt. They were marginally successful in catching a couple of rabbits. But all in all the day itself had been a great success. Fili and Kili had embraced his scalier side, and it had only brought them all closer to together.

After that Fili, Kili, and Harry went on a lot of hunting trips together. Dis trusted them to go for a couple of days on a time once they proven themselves to be careful and capable of looking after themselves.

///

Harry had been living with the dwarves for nearly four months when Thorin finally returned from searching for his father. He hadn’t actually found Thrain but he had met with a wizard. The wizard had urged Thorin to march on Erebor, and had offered Thorin his assistance in regaining his mountain. Thorin was utterly energized by the idea. He had immediately called for several council meetings and was calling for the aid of any willing to join him on his quest to regain Erebor.

Disappointingly only thirteen dwarves ended up stepping forward. Three of them of being Thorin, Kili, and Fili. Thorin was obviously angry over the lack of support but it seemed to only make him more determined to see the quest succeed. Also going were Dwalin, Balin, Oin, and surprisingly enough Ori. The others Harry didn’t know as well.

“Are you going to come with us, Harry?” Fili asked him.

The three of them were back in the forge. They spent a lot of time down there together. It was the one place they could speak freely with worrying anyone would hear them. Fili and Kili had been careful not to bring any more gold around him.

“I don’t know,” Harry replied.

The dwarves’ quest had him realizing that whether he liked it or not he was going to have to face his father sooner rather than later. He thought it would be much better to fly ahead of the dwarves’ company rather than travel along with them.

“You don’t know? You have to come. We’d stand no chance against Smaug without you!” Kili cried.

“I’m not going with you but I am going to go to the mountain,” Harry explained.

“By yourself?” Fili worried.

“I’m a dragon, I’ll be fine,” Harry assured them.

“That didn’t stop the orcs from taking you,” Kili pointed out.

“They caught me by surprise,” Harry shot back. “It won’t happen again.”

“If you say so,” Kili shrugged.

“If I reach the mountain first I’ll be able to talk to Smaug, and maybe I can get him to return your mountain to you,” Harry suggested.

“It’s been centuries since Smaug saw you last. He may have changed. What if he refuses to listen to you?” Fili pointed out.

“I have to try,” Harry said firmly.

The dwarves had done so much for him. He had to try and help them get their mountain back.

“He could kill you,” Kili glanced worriedly between Harry and his brother.

Harry hadn’t considered that option. Would Smaug actually try to kill him if Harry sided with the dwarves? Fili also brought up a good point. It had been centuries for Smaug since Harry was kidnapped. That left a lot of time to change. What if Smaug was too far-gone to reason with?

“That’s a risk I’ll have to take. I have to meet my father,” Harry said, trying to feel as confident as he sounded.

“I understand, just try not to die on us?” Fili suggested.

“I’ll do my best,” Harry reassured them.

Fili was still a bit upset with Harry’s decision. His brooding expression made him look remarkably like his uncle. Harry wouldn’t be swayed from his decision. It would be safer in the long run for the dwarves if he went on his own to confront Smaug. In the event that Smaug was hostile there wasn’t much the dwarves would be able to do against a dragon anyway.

However, he did agree to travel with the company as far as Bree. Harry joined the thirteen dwarves in their meetings, and helped with their preparations.

Before they left Kili and Fili wanted to go out on one more hunting trip. Mostly Kili just wanted to go flying again. Their longer trips meant that Harry could fly once night fell. Fili had absolutely refused to ride on Harry’s back at first but after Kili’s exclamations of how much fun it was, and Harry’s wheedling Fili eventually gave in. The golden haired dwarf didn’t hate the experience but he didn’t quite love it either. Kili on the other hand kept trying to get Harry to do more and more outrageous stunts. But Harry had to put his foot down when he started suggesting barrel rolls.

“Come on, Harry,” Kili gave him puppy dog eyes.

They had just stopped their flying for the night and were settling down to sleep.

“No, Kili, you could fall off, and I have no idea if I would be able to catch you before you splattered all over the ground,” Harry argued.

“We could tie a rope or something,” Kili offered.

“Maybe if I had my wand, and I could do a Sticking Charm or something,” Harry frowned.

“Sticking Charm?” Fili lifted one eyebrow.

He was sitting across the small campfire from him smoking his pipe. Kili was also smoking his pipe. It was something that dwarves did quite a bit of along with drinking. Ale was a common table drink, and Harry had gotten used to having it with all his meals. It was just lucky that it took a lot to make him tipsy. A normal person probably wouldn’t have been able to keep up with the dwarrows’ drinking habits.

Fili was always curious about the wizarding world, and liked hearing all about it. If only he had a wand Harry could have shown him. Instead he could only just explain a bit about the charm. Both of them ignoring Kili’s ideas about future flying expeditions. They chatted a bit more. Eventually they banked the fire and settled down to sleep.

Harry was woken in the night. At first he didn’t know what had woken him but then he caught an unfamiliar scent on the breeze. He was able to determine that it was the scent of dwarf but it wasn’t a dwarf Harry was familiar with, and he was close by. He was instantly suspicious. The scent was wafting in from behind him in the direction of the campfire, and Kili and Fili’s bedrolls. Harry carefully turned in his own blankets to see if he could find the source of the strange scent.

What he saw caused his heart to freeze in terror. An unfamiliar dwarf was creeping towards Fili’s sleeping form, a knife in his hand. Harry would have easily been able to see the knife even without his advanced eyesight as the light of the moon shone clearly down on the shiny, wicked looking blade. The intent of this dwarf was clear in his eyes. He had come with the intention to kill.

“Don’t you dare take another step,” Harry’s voice came out as a deep and raspy growl. It was inhuman and definitely more than a bit terrifying if he did say so himself.

The would-be assassin froze, his beady gaze darting towards Harry. Harry moved quickly to his feet. Fili and Kili were also woken by Harry’s snarl.

“Harry?” Kili mumbled in confusion, still half asleep.

“Why are you—?” Fili stopped when he caught sight of their unexpected guest.

Fili and Kili reacted quickly just as they had been trained to. They pulled themselves to their feet. Fili instantly had a knife in his hand. He always kept one close at hand somewhere on his person. Kili was scrambling in the dark for his bow. The assassin seeing that he was about to lose his opportunity flung his knife at Fili.

“Fili!” Kili screamed.

It was happening so quickly that Harry reacted on pure instinct. With all his might Harry willed the knife to stop. The knife wavered a little bit in the air slowing down just enough for Fili to move out of the way. The assassin, terrified that his plan had failed, moved to run.

Harry didn’t stop to think how bad of an idea it would be. He exploded at the assassin. One moment he was human the next he was a very irate firedrake. The assassin didn’t even stand a chance before Harry was on him. One large clawed hand pined the dwarf, none too gently, to the ground. His lips pulled back from his very sharp and wicked teeth to growl menacingly at the dwarf. The dwarf in question squealed, and started openly sobbing.

“Harry? It’s all right. I’m all right, step back,” Fili called.

Harry’s rational mind had all but fled, and right now he wanted nothing more than to burn this filth. His chest was glowing ominously to prepare itself for the task.

“Harry!” Kili shouted.

Harry looked up to see and Kili and Fili looking at him worriedly. Harry had never breathed fire around Fili and Kili for fear of accidentally catching them in the blaze. He wasn’t going to start now.

Forcibly calming himself he slowly withdrew from the assassin. He didn’t even seem to notice that Harry wasn’t pining him down anymore. He was mumbling to himself, and seemed utterly terrified about having come face to face with Harry’s dragon side. Harry had to admit he was a little worried that he wasn’t more worried about how close he’d come to killing the dwarf. Maybe once his rage at him almost killing Fili had passed he would.

“Kili get some rope,” Fili commanded. He seemed to be quite together for someone who had just had an attempt on his life. But Harry’s sharp eyes caught the telltale shaking of his hands.

Harry curled his body around Fili, gently nuzzling the dwarf prince while Kili tightly bound the assassin. Fili gratefully leaned back against him.

“Thank you, Harry, you saved my life,” Fili whispered.

“You would have done the same for me if you could,” Harry replied with utter certainty.

“Of course I would have,” Fili said slowly regaining his composure.

“I’ve had a lot of people try to kill me, and I doubt it will be the last time considering how popular dragons seem to be in Middle Earth,” Harry said trying to lighten the mood.

“They’ll have to go through me first,” Fili declared.

“Me too!” Kili cried. “Now what should we do with him?” Kili asked once he’d finished tying up the assassin.

Fili stalked over to the bound dwarf. He glared into the dwarf’s eyes and then punched him hard enough to knock him out cold.

“Ooo, that’s going to sting in the morning,” Kili grinned viciously.

“We should start making our way back,” Fili murmured.

“I’ll carry him. Just throw him across my back,” Harry sighed.

They did just that, and Harry carried him like this until they left the cover of the trees behind. Harry retook his human form, and was very thankful to have brought another change of clothes since he’d completely shredded his when he’d changed. They took turns dragging the assassin back to the city. If his head smacked against a few more rocks than was necessary, well what could they do?

When they did arrive back to the city it was to a flurry of activity. Dis and Thorin were absolutely livid to learn about what had happened. All of the dwarves close to the royal family were in an uproar. Thorin had the assassin dragged off to the dungeons for questioning. Harry was worried that he would say something but Fili and Kili both assured him that they would stick up for him if he did. Who would take the word of some crazed assassin over the crown princes after all?

It was soon learned that the assassin had been hired to kill the heirs of Durin but didn’t who exactly had hired him since there had been a middleman. Literally, in fact considering the dwarf had gotten his orders from a Man in Bree. He’d been following Fili and Kili for months waiting for an opportunity to kill them both. The hunting trip had been the perfect opportunity. The dwarf surprisingly said nothing about him being a dragon. Either he was too terrified to or he had thought it was all a hallucination. Harry was just glad he never brought it up.

To his embarrassment Kili and Fili loudly proclaimed that Harry had saved them both. He’d jumped in front of the assassin’s knife and tackled him to the ground. Dis was so grateful that she gave him one of the beads from her hair and quickly braided it into his short hair. Even Thorin shook his hand and thanked him profusely. He made sure that Harry knew he would always be welcomed among the dwarrows. Dwalin slapped him hard on the back and insisted he start teaching Harry some actual fighting techniques.

Harry was now openly accepted into the community. However, it did make him feel guilty that he was still keeping the truth of what he was a secret from them.

///

“The Man child is coming with us on our journey?” the red haired dwarf named Gloin asked during their first meeting. He was Oin’s brother, and a banker for the company. He had been steadily gathering funds for the quest.

“Just until Bree,” Fili answered for him.

“I’m going to try and find my family,” Harry explained.

“On your own, laddie?” Oin worried loudly.

Harry smiled at Oin. He was really very fond of the healer.

“I’ll be all right. Kili and Fili told me about the Rangers. I’m thinking about asking one of them to help guide me. Hopefully, I’ll get lucky and we’ll find someone who recognizes me,” Harry lied.

“Then there is still the matter of our fourteenth member,” Gloin said.

“Tharkun has assured me he will found our Burglar. Someone capable of slipping into the dragon’s den and retrieving the Arkenstone from under the beast’s belly,” Thorin stated.

“What about Nori?” Kili said pointing to the dwarf whose reddish brown hair was done in the unique shape of a star. It confounded Harry how he managed to maintain the shape of it.

“Nori’s just a criminal,” Dwalin snorted.

Ori’s older brother just grinned, and winked.

“I’ve changed my ways. I’m turning over a new leaf on this quest. Going to become a real stand up dwarrow,” Nori explained with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

Dori, Nori and Ori’s older brother, rolled his eyes at his younger brother. Harry had only met Dori a couple of times before. It was inevitable considering the way the prim older dwarf was constantly hovering over Ori. Dori had made sure to meet Harry before he had allowed Ori to teach him. Once he was reassured that Harry wasn’t a threat to Ori he’d even had Harry over for tea a couple of times. This was his first time meeting the middle brother. Ori had only mentioned in passing that Dori and Nori didn’t get along that well, and considering Nori’s profession it made sense that Dori wouldn’t want to bring him up. Dori was very proper, and Nori seemed liked the complete opposite.

The other dwarves rounding out the company were brothers Bofur and Bombur, and their cousin Bifur. Bofur was a merry sort with a floppy hat and braids that stuck out from his head. Bombur was nearly as large as Dudley but infinitely kinder. Bifur, to his shock, had an axe head in his forehead, which caused him to speak nothing but Khuzdul. They were miners by trade but not by choice. Their entire family had all once been toymakers, good ones according to Fili but they’d come on hard times like most of the dwarves in the Blue Mountains. They were the only ones not related in some way to the royal line. But they were still loyal to a fault, and none of the other dwarves in the company treated them any differently. Their lives had been too tumultuous for things like that.

It took several months before the dwarves were prepared to leave. By then the wizard had sent word to where they needed to go to meet up with their Burglar. It was the Shire, home of the hobbits. The wizard would mark the appropriate door so they knew where to go.

The dwarves were all excited to get going on their quest. The hardest part was saying goodbye. Gloin and Bombur both had wives and children, which Harry thought made leaving hardest on them. But they were determined to get a better life for their families. The days leading up to his departure Gloin’s young son Gimli followed his father everywhere, demanding to go along as well. Dis had already threatened Thorin with a very violent demise if he didn’t keep her sons safe. She gave both her sons tokens to remind each of her love and to keep themselves safe. To Harry’s surprise she also gave him one as well.

“To remember that you will always have a home with us, and I hope one day you’ll come back to us,” Dis smiled warmly at him as she handed him the smooth black stone with a Khuzdul word written across it.

“I will,” Harry promised. “Thank you for everything. I’ll never be able to repay you for taking me in.”

“Think nothing of it, you’re my boy just as much as those other rapscallions,” Dis informed him firmly.

Harry felt a flush of warmth suffuse him at her words. Mrs. Weasley was the closest he’d ever come to having a mother figure. But he had rarely got to spend time with her or ever develop a close relationship with her like he had with Dis. Harry was thrilled that she considered him a part of her family.

Harry knelt down to embrace her. She hugged him back just tightly. When she pulled back she gently touched her forehead against his. It was a gesture only close, immediate family performed, and Harry was touched by it.

Then all too soon they were heading out. Harry wondered if he would ever come back to Ered Luin. He had grown to love Middle Earth in the months he’d lived here. It didn’t mean he didn’t miss Hogwarts and all his friends any less but it certainly made things more complicated. By the time he found his father would he even want to go back to Earth? Harry pushed the thought aside. There was no use worrying over a choice that he might not even have the ability to make. Who knows if he could get back to Earth?

They all had a couple of different last minute errands to attend to before they started out on their quest. But they were all going to try and meet back up at the Burglar’s house on the same day. Thorin had already set off on a meeting with some dwarves from the Iron Hills in hopes of getting a little bit more help. Fili, Kili, and Harry broke away from the rest of the group to spend some time alone before they were going to go their separate ways.

Still they made good time in reaching their destination. The Shire was a beautiful place. Harry would have loved to see it in daylight even though his eyesight was decent in the dark. The hobbits built their homes into the rolling green hills surrounding the Shire. The only things they could see were the colorful round doors set in the hillside. All of the hobbits were already tucked away in their hobbit holes. Harry, Fili, and Kili walked along the empty dirt paths until they finally found the door with the mark. The glowing blue rune was set on a large green door.

They wasted no time in walking up the steps to ring the bell by the door. It didn’t take long before a flustered looking man opened the door. Harry got his first good look at a hobbit while Fili and Kili introduced themselves. The hobbit didn’t look any different from a human just smaller. He was even shorter than the dwarves. He had curly dark blonde hair, pointed ears, and large hairy feet. Harry hadn’t been expecting his feet to be quite that large in proportion to his body.

“Fili.”

“And Kili.”

“At your service,” they said together sweeping into a bow.

“And this is Harry,” Fili pointed to him. The hobbit stared between him and the brothers looking more than a little overwhelmed.

“You must be Mr. Boggins,” Kili smiled widely. Harry sighed, Thorin had told them that the Burglar’s name was Bilbo Baggins several times.

“Nope, you can’t come in, you’ve come to the wrong house,” the hobbit cried, attempting to shut the door in their faces.

“What? Has it been cancelled?” Kili demanded, catching the door before it could close.

“No one told us,” Fili frowned looking back at Harry to see if he knew anything.

“Cancelled? No, nothing’s been cancelled,” the hobbit shook his head.

“That’s a relief,” Kili sighed pushing his way into the house.

Fili ambled in after him while Harry had to duck through the doorway. Luckily the ceilings were high enough for him to stand up comfortably in as long as he avoided hitting his head on the chandelier. After living with dwarves for a while he’d learned to navigate living in a world that was a bit too small for him.

Fili and Kili were already making themselves at home. Fili tossed his weapons to the hobbit while Kili was wiping his feet on the furniture. Harry smacked him in the back of the head.

“What was that for?” Kili glared.

“Dis would kill you if she saw you do that,” Harry stated.

“You’re not my mother,” Kili shot back.

“No, but since she’s not here to do it herself I’ll do it for her,” Harry replied.

Kili wiped off the mud, muttering under his breath. Dwalin appeared from around the corner and instantly wrangled them into helping put the tables together so that the entire company could fit. The dwarves were focused on their task, too excited about the prospect of a good meal after weeks of travel. But Harry was watching their host, and heard his ranting as the doorbell rang again. It appeared that the poor hobbit didn’t know that they were all coming.

Harry had stepped out just in time to see Mr. Baggins open the door and a pile of dwarves tumble inside. Behind the pile of dwarves was a tall man with long gray hair and beard. He wore worn gray robes, and a gray hat. He carried a long wooden staff, and Harry knew this must be Gandalf the Gray one of the wizards of Middle Earth.

The hobbit immediately started berating the wizard as Harry went to try and help sort out the dwarves in the pile. He then made his way back to the dining room to join the impromptu feast. After living with dwarves for several months Harry was more than familiar with their eating habits. The more of them there were the more rambunctious they became as they joked, laughed, and drank.

Dwalin poured ale down Oin’s ear trumpet. Fili was walking on the table as he passed out mugs of ale. Nori was casually slipping silverware into his coat when he thought no one was looking. Dori was making sure that Ori was eating enough. Bofur was tossing food to Bombur on the other end of the table who was catching it in his mouth. Then of course there was the belching contest, which Ori won without question. Hermione would have been appalled with their table manners but Ron would have fit in perfectly with them. He may have even given Ori some competition. Harry just watched. He knew that they would eventually put things right. There wouldn’t be any permanent damage from. Dwarves often took any chance they could to have a good time considering their hard life.

Harry ate his far share of the food but he did feel a bit guilty about the way Mr. Baggins was so agitated. But the evening progressed nonetheless. The dwarves even came up with a song for Mr. Baggins as they cleaned up their mess. Harry helped Bifur out in the kitchen cleaning the dishes while the other dwarves tossed the dishes to them.

Thorin eventually arrived and was quite put out when he met Mr. Baggins. Thorin didn’t think he was up to the task, and Mr. Baggins didn’t seem like he was all that eager to join in the quest either. Harry joined them in their discussion listening as Thorin told them of his meeting. They were all disappointed to hear that the dwarves from the Iron Hills refused to come. Harry listened closely as they started to discuss Smaug, and how they could possibly kill him.

It was hard to listen to. But Harry knew he couldn’t bring up the fact that he was planning on helping them with Smaug. Kili didn’t have the same reservations.

“Perhaps, something will happen and we’ll be able to reason with him,” Kili spoke up.

Fili elbowed Kili for bringing it up because now everyone’s attention was on Kili. They were looking at him like he’d suddenly sprouted an orc head.

“Reason, with a dragon?” Thorin demanded, looking as if he was seriously reevaluating Kili’s intelligence.

“Ignore him, he’s just tired,” Harry reassured.

Thorin sent another worried look at Kili, still questioning his sanity. But he returned to his speech.

“The dragon Smaug has not been seen for sixty years. Eyes are on the mountain. Assessing it, weighing the chances. We must not sit back and wait for another to claim what is rightfully ours. We must take back our mountain!” Thorin cried.

The others all agreed, and Gandalf soon produced a key to help them get into the mountain. Apparently the entire mountain was sealed. There were no ways inside expect for the secret passage way. This gave Harry pause. How was he supposed to get to Smaug if he was locked up tightly in a mountain? Was he just supposed to knock and hope for the best?

The discussion continued on around Harry. Thorin handed Mr. Baggins the contract for the company. He carefully took the time to read it becoming paler as he did so. Bofur’s extra comments didn’t exactly help either. So it should have to no surprise that Mr. Baggins fainted dead away. The dwarves all gaped in shock. Harry stood and picked up the hobbit to make sure he was all right. Gandalf assured him that he was, and directed him to place Mr. Baggins in an armchair in front of the fire. Dori made him a cup of tea.

“Thank you for the help, Mister…” Gandalf sent him a curious look.

“Just Harry.”

“Just Harry, it is nice to meet you. I’m Gandalf. How are you familiar with the dwarves?” Gandalf asked him.

“They saved me from orcs,” Harry explained.

“Orcs?” Gandalf’s gaze sharpened a bit.

“Harry!” Kili called.

Harry sent an apologetic look towards Gandalf but was grateful for an excuse to duck out of the questioning. He quickly moved to join Kili and Fili.

“You might end up having to join us, Harry,” Fili said as they settled down in the living room.

“Our Burglar, isn’t much of a Burglar,” Kili agreed.

“I don’t think he even knew he was supposed to be one,” Harry pointed out.

“What are we going to do then?” Kili wondered.

“We’re going to complete this quest. We’ll get back our homeland just like uncle said,” Fili said determinedly.

Soon after Thorin started singing. The melody was haunting and beautiful. It only further convinced Harry that he would help them. He would make sure they got their mountain back.

The next morning they set out early without Mr. Baggins. However, they didn’t get very far before Mr. Baggins came running after them. The hobbit’s attitude had completely turned around, and he looked utterly thrilled to be coming along. Until he learned he had to ride a pony.

“He’s not riding a horse,” Mr. Baggins pointed to Harry.

“He can’t fit on the ponies and since he’s only traveling with us to Bree we didn’t get another horse,” Fili said.

“And he’s got longer legs,” Kili agreed as he and Fili came up behind the hobbit.

They each grabbed hold of him to swing him up into the saddle of the available pony. It took them about a week to reach Bree. For once Harry was glad for how long travel took in Middle Earth. He wasn’t eager to be separated from his dwarves. He’d been with them for over half a year, and it would be like losing Sirius, Remus, Hermione, and Ron all over again. They stayed the night in the Prancing Pony. Fili, Kili, and he stayed up into the early hours of the night talking and reminiscing about all of the time they spent together.

In the morning Harry said his goodbyes. He said goodbye to those he didn’t know so well first. He wished Bilbo, Gandalf, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur, Dori, Nori, and Gloin all luck on their journey. For Balin, Dwalin, Ori, Oin, and Thorin he individualized his goodbye. Then there came the hardest part, saying goodbye to Fili and Kili.

“Well, this is goodbye,” Harry said awkwardly. He didn’t know quite how say goodbye to the dwarves who had become his best friends.

“For now, we won’t be apart too long. Who knows maybe we’ll even beat you to the mountain?” Kili grinned.

“Just be safe, Harry, and if Smaug looks like he doesn’t remember you, get out of there,” Fili told him, looking a bit anxious.

“Stop being such a mother hen. You’ll turn into Dori on us,” Kili laughed, poking his brother in the ribs.

“I’m not turning into Dori! I’m just worried about Harry going off on his own. Although, I’m not as worried about him as I would be about you going off on your own,” Fili scowled.

“I’ll be fine,” Harry reassured them. “I have to do this. Just like you both have to go on this quest.”

Fili sighed and clapped him on the back. “We know. If you manage to talk sense into Smaug wait for us in Laketown. If not get away, and try to find us on the road, and we’ll figure something out.”

“There’s nothing the three of us can’t do together!” Kili cheered.

Harry grinned. Kili’s optimism never failed to lift Harry’s own spirits.

“Now, we’ve got to go. The others are waiting,” Fili pointed out.

Everyone else had already climbed up onto their ponies, and were waiting for the two young princes to join them.

Kili nodded. He gave each of them quick, manly hugs. Then the two brothers were off.

“Be safe! Good luck!” Harry called after them.

“We don’t need luck, I’m going!” Kili called back.

Fili swatted him.

Harry rolled his eyes. He watched them go until they disappeared from sight. It was the first time he had been alone since his attack with the orcs. He couldn’t help but feel a bit vulnerable. But he had a job to do. Hermione had always said he had a ‘saving people thing’ and he was twice as protective of the people he cared about. He wanted to help the dwarves get back their home, and he wanted to show his father that he was still alive.

Harry spent the rest of the afternoon in the Prancing Pony. As night began to fall he slipped back out of the town and started making his way to a secluded area. Once he was far enough away from the down and the sky was dark enough he stripped out of his clothing. He folded them and put them all away in his pack. Only then did he change forms. Harry stretched out his arms giving his wings a brief shake to test for any stiffness. Not finding any he gave a couple of powerful hops before leaping completely off the ground. It took just a few strong sweeps of his wings and he was soaring high above the trees.

Harry flew even higher. He flew high above the clouds to ensure that no one would catch sight of him. It was a relief to be back flying through the sky. There was nothing quite like flying. It was pure freedom to Harry. He only had to make sure he didn’t lose himself in the sensation, veered off course. Fili and he had mapped out his path to get him to Erebor in good time. He would fly at night and sleep during the day. Flying would allow him to travel far faster than if he had to walk. Harry just hoped that when he finally reached his destination he would be welcome.


	4. All That Glitters

Harry made great time. He had only been flying for a couple of days but already he had traveled a great distance. Just like predicted flying at night and finding a safe place to sleep during the day had him a great distance quickly on his journey. He only hoped that the dwarves were having a good trip as well. Harry missed Fili and Kili, and part of him still wished he had decided to go with them instead going off on his own.

On his fourth night his flight was disturbed. He’d been flying over a forest when the smell of smoke assaulted his senses. It wasn’t long before he actually saw flames, and heard screams. Against his better judgment he flew towards the disturbance. In a small clearing there was house on fire with three large trolls carrying a small family of humans from the wreckage. Harry’s sharp eyes could easily pick out struggling children in the arms of the thick-skinned creatures.

Of course he knew what he had to do. Harry couldn’t just leave them to their fate especially with the trolls fighting over how they were planning to cook them. Harry dove towards the ground. He pulled up at the last minute, the harsh gusts from his wings flattening the three trolls on their backs, and keeping them from witnessing his landing.

“What was that?” cried one of the trolls, flailing on his back.

“Is there a storm coming?” wailed another.

“Grab the meat, and let’s get back to the cave,” snarled the largest, clambering to his feet. He held the still kicking and screaming patriarch of the family securely in his flabby arms.

“Drop the humans,” Harry snarled.

All three trolls jumped, eyes instantly locked on Harry’s form. His back came up to around the trolls’ heads. His long neck and tail, and his wings added to his size, making him appear even larger. Harry made sure his crown of horns were sticking up to make himself look even fiercer. His fiery gold eyes were glowing like hot coals in the night. The trolls were appropriately horrified. Their faces were frozen in shocked disbelief.

“D-d-dra-DRAGON!” screamed one of the trolls.

The cry was all it took for them to completely panic. They started running around like chickens with their heads cut off. They started bumping into one another, and tripping over themselves. Harry was afraid they were going to crush the people before he even got the chance to get them away from the trolls.

“Stop!” Harry bellowed.

The trolls froze.

“Let the humans go, and I’ll let you go,” Harry explained slowly. From what he noticed of these troll’s intelligence, they seemed to be only slightly smarter than the trolls of Earth. Harry was going to have to speak to them as if he were speaking to Dudley, which meant speaking slowly and using small words.

“Why should we go giving our hard earned supper to you, dragon?” one of the trolls spoke up, having finally gotten his wits about him. He seemed to be the leader of the trio.

“I’ll burn you if you don’t,” Harry threatened. He wouldn’t really because they were still carrying the family but the trolls didn’t have to know that.

“That seems like a fair trade, don’t it, Bill?” murmured another troll, glancing hopefully at the leader.

“Shut up, Bert, I’ll handle this. I didn’t think there were any more dragons left, at least not this far south of the Grey Mountains. Only old Smaug, and everyone figures he must be dead up there in the Lonely Mountain,” the leader, Bill, said, glaring at Harry.

“Well, there are. So are you going to hand them over peacefully or are you going to make it hard on yourselves?” Harry demanded, staunchly ignoring the comment that Smaug might actually be dead.

“There are three of us and just one of you,” pointed out the last troll, who still remained nameless.

“True, but can any of you breathe fire?” Harry flicked his tail impatiently.

The trolls frowned and looked at one another almost as if they were actually questioning whether or not they were capable of it.

“No…” Bert finally answered.

Harry sighed this was getting him nowhere. He decided to try a different tactic in a language they might actually understand. Harry roared, and flashed his teeth at the trolls. They all cried out and cringed away from him.

“For the last time, drop the humans!” Harry snarled, making his chest glow ominously. He swung his tail causing several trees to fall over, which added to the effect he was going for.

“Fine,” Bill snapped. “You heard him, boys. Bert, Tom, drop the humans.”

Harry tensed at Bill’s tone. But watched as all of the trolls dropped the small family.

“Get him!” Bill commanded.

Bert and Tom lunged at Harry with Bill right behind them. Bill had pulled out a large metal ladle to wield it as a weapon. Harry snarled and quickly twisted out of the way. Even though he was on the ground he was much faster than these trolls. But there were three of them, and he couldn’t avoid all of them at the same time. Harry’s hide was strong but the trolls’ fists were thick and their blows were hard. Harry had no choice but to go on the defensive. He may have been comfortable and instinctively knew how to use his body but he’d never had to fight and defend himself in it.

Harry twisted, using his tail like a beater’s bat to send Bert flying back into the trees. He quickly had to dodge out of the way of Bill’s massive ladle. He didn’t quite manage, and it clipped him a bit.

Harry roared in pain. The large metal spoon would leave him with some nasty bruising from the force Bill put behind it. Harry lunged forward to lock his jaws around the arm Bill was using to hold the ladle to prevent him from using it to hit him again.

Bill cried out in agony and tried to desperately shake Harry off. Harry refused to let go despite the disgusting taste of troll blood in his mouth. Unfortunately this left him open for an attack from Tom who charged into him like a battering ram. Harry still kept a firm grip on Bill’s arm leading to all three of them crashing to the ground. Harry was the first to reclaim his feet. Still holding tight to Bill’s arm, he gathered all of his strength and flung Bill away. The troll joined Bert in crashing through the trees. That left only Tom still standing, who, seeing that he was alone quickly took off into the trees.

Harry felt a rush of triumph fill him at having defeated them. In the next moment he was wincing in pain at the bruises he was going to be left behind with. But he’d had worse before, and shrugged it off. He would heal quickly enough, and he wanted to check on the family, if they were still around.

The small family hadn’t run off during the fight. They were far too terrified for that. They were all huddled together on the ground far off to the side of the clearing. Harry hated seeing the fear in their eyes as they stared up at him. He gently rested his head on the ground in hopes of looking less threatening. The thought of changing back to his human form crossed his mind but was just as quickly discarded. Transforming might just make them more afraid, and of course he would have been naked.

“Are you all right?” Harry asked them.

The man just gaped up at him in shock. His wife timidly nodded.

“Good, that’s good. Well, I suppose it would be best if you found a new place to live. One without trolls, of course. I would give you something to help but I don’t really have anything to give,” Harry said awkwardly. He only had his own small pack of essentials, which he kept securely tied to his back leg.

“You’re letting us go?” the man rasped.

“Yes, of course,” Harry nodded.

“Oh, thank you,” the wife cried.

Harry flicked his tail, embarrassed at the praise. “Will you be all right to travel?”

“We’ll be fine,” the man assured, holding his family close.

“Then I hope you all find a safe place to stay.”

Before they could respond Harry bunched his muscles and took off back into the sky. He didn’t fly much further that night. He was too sore. He decided it would be better to take the rest of the night to rest up, and hopefully he would be recovered from the worst of the bruising for an easier flight the next night.

Harry found a hollowed out tree to sleep in for the night and following day. Pleased with himself over saving the family, he settled in to sleep.

He didn’t wake up again until sometime around the middle of the day if he went by the sunlight filtering through the tree trunk. Harry was confused for a moment as to why he had woken up. It wasn’t long before his sharp ears picked up the sound of a horse’s soft steps through the undergrowth.

Harry scented the air and caught an unfamiliar scent on the breeze. There was someone nearby, and they were riding a horse. Their scent was woodsy yet with the undercurrent of fresh, crisp air. Harry peeked out of his hiding spot to see if he could catch sight of whoever was approaching.  

There was a man riding on a horse. Or at first glance Harry thought he was a man. On his second glance he didn’t know how he could have ever mistaken him for being a human. To be fair it was his first time ever seeing an elf before. This elf certainly lived up to the description of the elves Ori had told him about. Ori had taken the liberty of providing him a more accurate explanation of them after learning what Kili and Fili had told him about them.

The elf had long flowing golden hair with a couple of simple braids, and delicately pointed ears. He was quite tall, although not as skinny as Fili and Kili had reported them to be. It was easy to see lean muscle through his simple travel clothing, and if what Ori had told him was true he would be stronger and faster than his size suggested. As the elf continued to draw closer Harry withdrew into his hiding spot hoping that the elf would just pass him by. Of course Harry’s luck could never be that good.

“I know you are there,” the elf called in a sharp, lilting voice from directly outside the tree.

Seeing no other option Harry carefully climbed out of the tree. The elf had dismounted from his horse, and was standing calmly in front of the tree as he waited for Harry to emerge. He didn’t look hostile and from what Ori had told him elves were considered a peaceful people who didn’t often get involved with the affairs of others. In fact they had completely ignored the dwarves’ calls for help after Erebor had been taken. Not that Harry was anyone to judge considering Smaug had been the one to kick them out in the first place.

“Hello,” Harry offered an uncertain smile.

“I am Glorfindel of Imladris,” the golden haired elf stated looking Harry over closely.

“I’m Harry,” he replied, feeling strangely uncomfortable under the elf’s probing gaze. His blue eyes betrayed his youthful features and seemed to prove just how ancient he truly was. It made Harry feel like he could see inside his soul, and he the irrational fear that he knew exactly what Harry was.

“Are you traveling all by yourself, Harry?” Glorfindel asked.

“Yes,” Harry nodded.

“You look quite young to be traveling all on your own. There have been several orc packs roaming the lands of late, and even trolls have been spotted coming down from the mountains,” Glorfindel informed him.

“I’m all right. I’m used to doing things on my own,” Harry assured him, thinking of facing Voldemort in his first year, the Chamber in his second, and of course the Tri-Wizard Tournament.

“I see, I would still like to offer you an invitation to return with me to Rivendell. You look wary and travelers are always welcome in Rivendell,” Glorfindel offered.

“Thank you for the offer, but I’m fine just staying here,” Harry replied, wondering where Rivendell was exactly.

“Nonsense, you’re sleeping in a tree, and Rivendell has several beds you can make use of instead. We are a safe haven for those in need, and it is not far from here. Besides, as I said, there are orcs roaming these lands and you are not safe sleeping here on your own where the foul creatures may sneak up on you,” Glorfindel insisted.

The thought of orcs coming upon him had him really considering the offer. If there were several confirmed sightings of them Harry didn’t want to risk them coming after him. He was more prepared to deal with them now but that still didn’t mean that he wanted to face the horrible creatures. Harry thought he could recall Ori mentioning something about Rivendell. It was home to an elf lord who was considered one of the wisest in all of Middle Earth. He’d been around during the Last Alliance of Men and Elves. He was even on some sort of council committed to the protection of Middle Earth. If it was close by then Harry thought it couldn’t hurt to stay there for the day rather than chance being attacked by orcs.  

“All right, I’ll come with you. Thank you,” Harry smiled, sleeping in a real bed would also be a nice change of pace.

“Of course,” Glorfindel gave him a quick smile in turn. “Grab your belongings. I will help you mount Asfaloth.”

“Oh, right,” Harry agreed, nervously glancing at the elf’s horse.

Harry slowly grabbed his pack, and cautiously made his way over to the horse. As soon as the horse got a good whiff of him it snorted and tried to back up a few paces.

“It’s all right, Asfaloth,” Glorfindel settled the horse, placing a soothing hand on the horse’s flank. The horse immediately calmed under its rider’s touch, trusting him implicitly.

“Horses and I don’t really get on well,” Harry laughed nervously.

“It will be fine,” Glorfindel assured.

But Harry had caught the suspicious look in his eyes when he’d turned back to look at him. It was gone in an instant, covered by a warm smile, leaving Harry wondering if it had even really been there at all or just the product of his own paranoia.

Glorfindel helped him up onto the large horse’s back before swinging up in front of him. To Harry’s surprise the horse didn’t have any further protests about allowing Harry close to him. The horse must have been exceptionally well trained. Without any further problems the two of them were off.

“Where are you traveling, Harry?” Glorfindel asked.

“Laketown,” Harry answered easily.

“Laketown? That is quite the long journey to make by yourself. Why the need to travel so far?” Glorfindel questioned curiously.

“Visiting family,” Harry explained. It was the truth after all.

“Do you have no one to travel with you?” Glorfindel probed.

“I don’t have any other family. Just my father. Who I am going to visit but I haven’t seen him in a long time,” Harry decided to divulge.

“I see. You are worried about what sort of reception you shall receive,” Glorfindel deduced.

“A bit,” Harry admitted.

Harry hadn’t told Fili and Kili about his worries. They were already worried enough about him going off on his own. He’d had to keep up a confident front so they wouldn’t realize just how uncertain he was about actually facing Smaug again.

“I wish you luck then in your search for your father,” Glorfindel stated.

“Thank you. Were you traveling too?” Harry asked curiously, wondering how the elf had come upon him.

“As I mentioned before, there have been several orc sightings. I and several others have been going out on frequent scouting missions to keep an eye out for them so that we may quickly drive them from our lands. We elves are not fond of orcs and vice versus,” Glorfindel explained.

“I wonder why there are so many around?” Harry asked, hoping that maybe the elf would know something more about the orcs’ master.

“We have been wondering this ourselves. There has not been this much orc movement in a long while. It is troubling,” Glorfindel murmured.

Harry caught the slight furrowing of his brow as he turned his head to look out across the open fields they were now traveling through. It was disheartening that he didn’t know anything new. But Harry was beginning to get the impression that he was never going to get the chance to find out unless he went looking for this master person himself. Harry would like to think he knew better than to do something so reckless now. For now he would resist his burning curiosity, and focus on getting just getting to his father.

It took less then an hour to reach their destination. Harry hadn’t realized just how close he had been to civilization not that he would have attempted to visit even if he had known. He didn’t need supplies since he’d been hunting on his own and there were plenty of streams and rivers around to quench his thirst. Harry couldn’t deny that he was interested in learning a little bit about the elves firsthand.

The sight of the valley alone was enough for him to believe that coming had been a good idea. Nestled in the cliffs among large flowing waterfalls was the most beautiful city Harry had ever seen. Everything was carved from glistening white stone, and vines artfully grew along the structure making it appear as if it had grown from the cliffs.

Glorfindel led Harry up the stone steps and through the open hallways. They finally came to a stop in an open area that overlooked the city. There were white pillars with an intricately carven roof but other than that there were no walls obstructing the beautiful view around them. Another elf was waiting for them there. There was a strong sense of calm around this elf. He had long dark hair and his gray eyes radiated wisdom. He wore elaborate slivery robes, and was very obviously the lord that the elves had told him they would bring him to.

“My Lord, we have a guest coming to stay with us for a short while,” Glorfindel called.

“Do we now?” the dark haired elf quirked an eyebrow as he looked Harry over. Harry was surprised to see a flash of recognition pass across his eyes.

“Indeed, he was traveling on his own, and I thought that he could use a bit of comfort from the road,” Glorfindel explained.

“Welcome to the Valley of Imladris, the Last Homely House East of the Sea or as it is more commonly known, Rivendell. I am Lord Elrond,” the dark haired elf informed him warmly.

“Nice to meet you, Lord Elrond. I’m Harry, thank you for letting me stay for a bit,” Harry nodded to the elf lord.

“Certainly Harry, Rivendell is always welcome to those in need,” Lord Elrond smiled.

“Glorfindel will show you to your room, and I hope that you will join us for supper this evening?” Elrond questioned.

“Yes, thank you, again,” Harry followed Glorfindel to his room.

It was a beautiful room, which Harry was more than grateful for. He took a short nap. While his bruises were better, they still weren’t quite entirely healed yet.

Once he was awake he cautiously left his room and set about exploring the city. Glorfindel assured him that he was free to explore and if he got lost to ask anyone he happened across for directions. Harry walked through a couple of gardens and eventually settled down to watch some of the elves practicing with their longbows. Their aim was incredible, something that probably took hundreds of years to perfect, and Harry ended up watching them until dinnertime.

Dinner was held outside, and Harry sat beside Elrond and his twin sons Elrohir and Elladan. Glorfindel also joined them along with several others. Dinner with the elves was definitely a much different affair than all of his dinners with the dwarves or really any of the meals he’d had in the Great Hall in Hogwarts. The elves were much more reserved. Not that they were bad company of course. They were kind, and knew many interesting things about history considering most of them had been around for the events. It was just different, and had Harry missing his friends both human and dwarf.

After dinner, Lord Elrond asked Harry to go for a walk with him. Harry agreed of course, and the two of them started on a leisurely stroll through Rivendell. The sun was just beginning to set and elves were preparing lanterns to provide light throughout the city. Harry had wanted to leave tonight but Lord Elrond had insisted that he stay just one more day. He had agreed because he wasn’t entirely healed yet. Harry had also been making good time, and thought he could spare a few days to rest. After all there was no way that the Company on their horses could have caught up to him by now.

“I must be honest with you, Harry, I was aware of your impending arrival,” Lord Elrond began.

“What do you mean, you were aware of my impending arrival?” Harry frowned, instantly on guard.

“A messenger arrived from Lothlorien a little over a week ago. It was a message from the Lady Galadriel herself explaining who you are, and to keep an eye out for a young traveler fitting your description making his way towards the Lonely Mountain. I have asked my scouts to keep an eye out for you to ensure you did not run afoul of any orcs,” Lord Elrond explained.

Harry knew who Lady Galadriel was. She came up quite a bit in the history books that Ori had read with him. Galadriel was the Lady of Lothlorien, and had many gifts including the ability of seeing visions of the future. She was also on the White Council, and supposed to be very wise and knowledgeable.

“What did she say about me exactly?” Harry questioned.

Inside he was panicking about just how much they knew, and what they were planning on doing with that information. Lord Elrond didn’t seem openly hostile but considering how long the elves’ lives were they could have just perfected their poker faces.

“Have no fear, Harry, you are safe here. We mean you no harm. Lady Galadriel explained your situation to me. Not everything but enough to understand why you here. She herself has not seen every detail of your life, only the necessary pieces. I know that you have grown up in another world, and that you have only recently returned to Arda. I know that you are now journeying to reunite with your father in the Lonely Mountain,” Lord Elrond told him carefully.

“So you know what I am?” Harry asked, feeling a surge of ice rush through his veins.

“Yes, I am aware that you are a dragon,” Lord Elrond held his gaze so that Harry could see there was no condemnation in his own eyes.

“What do you want from me? Who else knows?” Harry demanded.

“Please, Harry. I promise you have nothing to fear from me or anyone else here. Only Lady Galadriel and I are aware of this truth, and as I said we do not know every intimate detail of your life. We want nothing from you. Lady Galadriel contacted me only because she wanted me to take the chance to speak with you. She also wished to make sure I knew that I could put my trust in your quest to reach Erebor. She feared what might have happened had my scouts spotted you, and learned the truth without knowing to trust you. Certainly we would have done our best to stop you even if it meant ending your life.” Lord Elrond calmly informed him.

“I suppose I wouldn’t blame you. From what I’ve learned dragons aren’t exactly the most well liked beings in Middle Earth,” Harry muttered. He wanted to know just how much this Lady Galadriel knew about him.

“I admit it was a bit difficult to accept this information at first. Dragons as a race are vicious, dark creatures. Bred only for destruction. I trust Lady Galadriel’s judgment. From my own observations today, I can sense that you are not like the others of your kind. It is curious how this came about. I wonder if this is due to the influence of your human upbringing. Even now you are able to retain the shape of one,” Lord Elrond mused.

“Your guess is as good as mine. I don’t have any memories of what happened or who did this to me. Did Lady Galadriel say anything about how I became human or ended up in another world? Do you know anything about it?” Harry asked, hoping that he would finally get some answers.

“I’m afraid not, Harry. The reasons behind your abduction were unclear. I do not know who could have possibly done this or what purpose it could have possibly served them,” Lord Elrond frowned. It obviously bothered him that he didn’t know the reasons behind it.

“So Lady Galadriel wants me to meet with Smaug? Does she know how it will turn out?” Harry probed.

“She is certain that if you do _not_ go, disaster will befall all those involved in waking Smaug,” Lord Elrond explained. “However it was not clear how much better your presence would influence matters. I suppose it depends entirely on the choices that you make during your reunion.”

“Well, then I suppose I should make sure I don’t mess up,” Harry muttered.

He couldn’t deny that this did make him nervous. If Harry decided to never approach Smaug did that mean he would have killed the dwarves who woke him? Would they kill Smaug? It made Harry even more determined to reach the mountain. Even if seeing Smaug might not meet his expectations.

“You want to see Smaug, yet you feel guilty for it,” Elrond stated knowingly.

“I do, why wouldn’t I after all the things I’ve learned about him? He’s a monster who doesn’t seem to care about anyone but himself and gold. But I still want to meet him,” Harry explained.

“To you, Smaug was not a monster. He was a loving father. It is not wrong for you to want to seek him out. To want to meet the one who loved and cared for you in your youth. His own transgressions are not your own. Perhaps seeing you again will remind him of better times,” Lord Elrond purposed.

“And if it doesn’t?” Harry demanded. He couldn’t help but be wonder. As Elrond had said dragons were vicious and self-serving. Would Harry prove to be too human for Smaug to accept?

Lord Elrond gazed at him steadily. “Then I fear there will be great repercussions, and many lives will be lost. I would have been quite against the dwarves returning to the mountain if you were not here. Waking Smaug would not be an intelligent decision with an entire army at their backs let alone the small force they have at their disposal. Waking him would no doubt cause a rampage, which we are ill equipped to deal with. With you there upon his waking the outcome may be quite different.”

“Wonderful,” Harry sighed.

“Do not lose hope. Lady Galadriel believes reuniting with Smaug will give everyone their best chance of survival,” Lord Elrond reminded him.

“Right,” Harry nodded, feeling a bit more confident about the upcoming confrontation. “Maybe you can tell me a little bit more about dragons while I’m here? It could be helpful when I meet with Smaug.”

“What do you know of dragons?” he countered.

“Pretty much nothing,” Harry sighed.

Lord Elrond nodded looking thoughtful before he began to explain about the creation of dragons. Of course to understand it he had to tell him all about the history and creation of Arda. He told Harry about Eru Iluvatar, the creator of everything, and his Ainur or as the elves called them the Valar. They had created the landscape of Middle Earth, and its people. Harry had wondered if they were responsible for Harry’s traveling between worlds. Lord Elrond didn’t know but told him that it was certainly possible. They had the power and ability to do so. It was a lot to take in to know for certain that this world had actual god-like beings watching over them.

There were fifteen Valar originally but only fourteen after Melkor who later went by Morgoth split from them. He started some great war, which led to him eventually creating dragons in hopes of using them to destroy his enemies. The first winged dragon Morgoth created was Ancalagon who was undoubtedly the mightiest of all winged firedrakes. He was apparently so large that when he was struck down he crushed an entire range of volcanoes. Lord Elrond’s father, Earendil the Mariner, was actually the one to put a stop to his reign of terror.

“That name sounds familiar, and not because the first half is my birth name,” said Harry with a frown as he tried to recall where he had heard.

“Yes, it is interesting that Smaug would have decided to name you after Ancalagon,” Lord Elrond nodded.

“I remember! It was on my genealogy chart. The list with my ancestors,” Harry grinned, pleased that he had remembered.

“I believe all firedrakes hold some connection to Ancalagon the Black,” Elrond informed him.

“No, he wasn’t very far down on my chart. I think… No, I know he was my grandfather. My mother’s father,” Harry said with utter conviction.

“You are certain?” Lord Elrond demanded.

“Positive. My birth mother’s name was Ancia. But I don’t have any memories of her.”

“I have of heard of her. Ancia the Elegant, I believe she was known as, for the stately way she conducted herself. She was the last surviving daughter of Ancalagon. Ancia was a very proud dragon from what I know of her, and did not deign to involve herself in the fights and struggles of her kind. Of course none dared to go against knowing her strength and fierceness,” Lord Elrond explained.

“I don’t think she was involved in raising me,” Harry told him, not sure what he felt towards his birth mother who never wanted him, and who he no longer had the chance of confronting.

“No, but it seems you had a good mother in Lily Potter, if only for a short time,” Lord Elrond perceived.

“Very true, I had three great parents. I didn’t need her,” Harry smiled.

Harry turned the topic of conversation to something more pleasant. He asked Lord Elrond about his magic. Harry’s magic hadn’t been working with his wand the same as it had before the spell on him was lifted. There was a new, wilder element to his magic that didn’t quite bond with his phoenix feather wand in the same manner. He could still perform spells but it had been like using a wand that wasn’t his.

Since he’d been in Middle Earth, Harry had been trying to perform wandless magic. So far he’d only had success with fire spells, and Harry wasn’t even sure if they could be consider wandless magic as he was a dragon capable of breathing fire. He’d slowed down the knife the assassin had thrown at Fili but that had been accidental magic born from his pure terror of Fili being murdered before his very eyes. Harry had tried to recreate some semblance of moving or slowing down objects since without any success. It was frustrating not being able to rely on his magic.

“Perhaps you need a new focus for your magic,” Lord Elrond observed.

“That’s what my godfather thought. But where could I get a wand in Middle Earth?” Harry asked.

“The wizards of our world wield staffs to focus their magic, and they are a part of them. The wands of the world you came from were crafted using wood merged with a token from a magical being, correct?” Lord Elrond stroked his chin thoughtfully.

Harry nodded.

“I do not think wood would be a wise choice for you to use any longer,” Elrond murmured.

“Why not?” Harry asked curiously.

“Dragon and wood, is not always the best of combinations,” Lord Elrond pointed out.

“I can’t argue with that logic,” Harry chuckled.

Lord Elrond smiled as well.

Harry once again changed the subject of their conversation. He was a bit worn out by everything they had discussed. It was a lot to take in. But he was actually glad Lord Elrond already knew the truth about him. He had provided helpful feedback and information about his situation, and was even willing to help him further.

“I suppose I really have to make sure I reach Erebor sooner rather than later,” Harry murmured, thinking back to Lady Galadriel’s insistence that Harry should be the one to wake Smaug.

“Yes, but I believe that you still have some time, and I ask that you stay for at least a fortnight,” Lord Elrond requested.

Harry glanced at him in confusion.

“I have something that I would like to try in regards to your magic. Something that could be a large advantage should things with Smaug not go the way you planned,” Lord Elrond stated cryptically.

“All right, I will,” Harry agreed. His interest was piqued, and he couldn’t deny that he was interested in learning just what Lord Elrond might have planned.

Over the next several days Harry stayed with the elves. Glorfindel often spent a lot of time with him showing him around. The golden haired elf, while having decided that Harry wasn’t an immediate threat, was still suspicious of him, and wanted to keep an eye on him. Glorfindel didn’t know that Harry was in fact really a dragon. But he seemed to know that there was something more to him than met the eye. It was no doubt because of the reactions Harry tended to get from animals. A normal person didn’t cause animals to flee in terror. Glorfindel wasn’t openly hostile and was actually pretty good company.

Harry spent some time with Lord Elrond, too. The more time he spent with him the more he grew to trust the elf. The Lord of Rivendell was just as kind as Harry first suspected. He was also ancient and intelligent. Eventually Harry found himself telling Lord Elrond about his life in full. He already knew the important parts; Harry thought it couldn’t hurt if he knew about everything.

The elf lord listened quietly, and respectively. Only when Harry was finished did Elrond weigh in his thoughts.

“You have been through much, Harry, in your short life,” Elrond appeared impressed.

The two of them were sitting in one of the higher points in Rivendell. It was a beautiful view, one that Harry would always treasure. Just like he treasured the view from the top of Hogwarts’ Astronomy Tower.

“Yeah, I suppose I have. And isn’t that strange? Hundreds of years have passed here while it’s only been a little over a decade for me?” Harry asked.

“Not as strange as you would think. Only those who live above this mortal plane of being truly understand the grand workings of the worlds. It is possible that time passes more quickly in our world than in the one you have grown up in. Or perhaps you were sent forward in time when you were returned here,” Elrond explained.

“How did I end up there? Do you think the master the orcs were talking about is the same one who took me the first time?” Harry asked.

Elrond turned his gaze towards the buildings below, a contemplative look on his face.

“I am afraid I do not have the answers to your questions, Harry. I can however look through old texts and search for a way to return you to the world you grew up in. If this is what you wish?”

“I would like to go back eventually. I’d like to see my friends again, and make sure they know I’m all right. But…”

“You have grown fond of this world as well,” Lord Elrond nodded sagely.

“Yeah, I have, which complicates things,” Harry murmured.

“You have time, there is no need to worry over such things now,” Lord Elrond soothed.

“Right, of course. I should really be focusing on Smaug, and how I’m going to convince him to give back Erebor,” Harry said thoughtfully.

“I do not know Smaug. I know that he was considered to be quite deadly even among his own kind. I understand now from what you have said that losing you caused him to grow even crueler than he once was,” Lord Elrond began.

“But that’s not the only reason right? Like you said before, dragons were made to be creatures of destruction,” Harry said disparagingly.

“It is true, dragons were made to be instruments of war and devastation. The only things they care for are their hoards and themselves, and they were only ever loyal to the one who created them. Rarely do they even enjoy the company of others of their kind, and only ever spent much time in another’s presence for mating purposes or to raise their young. Some, like Smaug did with you, form attachments to their young, and would spend their lives together even after the little one was grown,” Lord Elrond explained.

“Why am I so different?” Harry questioned.

“I know not. Perhaps it is just your particular personality. Perhaps it is the influence of the spell that made you human in the first place. It is possible that it has altered you,” Lord Elrond surmised.

Harry nodded thoughtfully. He couldn’t help but think what he would have been like if he had grown up as a dragon.

///

One evening, nearing the end of his stay Lord Elrond approached him with a box. He offered the box to Harry who took it, already having some idea of what was in the long thin box.

Harry opened the box to find a metal a long, gleaming metal wand nestled inside. It was made of a shining silver colored metal. The handle was smooth and solid with a rounded end while the wand itself was carved with thin intricate strands woven together to form a sharp tip. It looked sharp enough and strong enough to also stab someone in a pinch. It was several of inches longer than his other wand.

“Is this?” Harry asked in awe.

He couldn’t help but reach inside and pull out the wand. The minute he did Harry could feel his magic surge up to connect to the wand in his hand. A shower of fiery sparks rained from the tip of his wand like fireworks, and Harry knew that he would once again be able to practice his magic.

“Yes, I thought on your difficulty in channeling your magic. I have a bit of skill in metal work. I believed a metal wand would serve you better than a wooden one. As I mentioned my father, Earendil, slew Ancalagon the Black. I recalled that I was in possession of one of his scales. I shaved off a sliver of the scale to use as the core of the wand, and forged the rest of the metal myself. I did not know if I would be successful in this endeavor so I did not tell what I was doing. I wanted it to be a surprise. Now go on, see if it works for you,” Elrond encouraged, smiling widely.

Harry didn’t waste any time. “ _Wingardium Leviosa_ ,” Harry swished and flicked his new wand at a nearby stand. The stand rose into the air as perfectly as it once would with his phoenix feather wand.

“I’m pleased to see that your magic has bonded so well to it,” Elrond said, looking thoroughly pleased with himself.

“Thank you. How can I ever repay you for all of this?” Harry asked.

“Well, perhaps to begin with you can return all of the golden objects you have systematically removed from various places throughout Rivendell?” Elrond lifted an eyebrow.

Harry flushed. “I’m really sorry. I’ve really been trying to work on that. It’s just this is really the first time I’ve been around a decent amount of gold in a while. The dwarves wear small bits and pieces in their hair. But they don’t have larger objects made of gold in Ered Luin like you have here. Sometimes I don’t even realize I’ve picked up something until I find myself trying to stuff it under the covers of my bed.”

“It’s all right. They are your natural instincts, and you are doing quite well. You haven’t gone on any rampages for gold. I think the more exposure you have, the better you can work on resisting it,” Lord Elrond explained calmly.

“Thank you, again,” Harry laughed.

“Second, I believe that there will a come time that you will be needed. I only ask that heed that call, and come to the aid of Middle Earth should there ever be a need,” Elrond stated solemnly.

“Why me? What would I be protecting Middle Earth from?” Harry demanded.

Harry had already defeated one Dark Lord. What was Lord Elrond asking him to fight?

“You misunderstand me, Harry. I simply ask that you stand beside the free people of Middle Earth if a darkness were to arise.”

Harry could understand that but making a promise like that would bind him to Middle Earth. It was a promise that he was going to be around in the future. But Harry was never one to back down from a fight. His life facing Voldemort had assured that. If there was someone out there trying to impose their will on others than Harry couldn’t just sit by and watch. He loved Middle Earth too, and the thought of anyone trying to destroy it, made fire swirl angrily in his chest. Harry would protect it if he could.

“I will,” Harry swore.

Lord Elrond smiled, a warm genuine smile that lit up the normally placid elf’s entire face. “Thank you, Harry.”

“I’ll plan on leaving tomorrow night as soon as the sun sets,” Harry explained.

“Of course. I look forward to getting the chance to see you in your true form,” Lord Elrond smiled.

The next day Harry went around Rivendell saying his goodbyes to the various elves he had spent some time with. They were all very kind to him during his stay but he missed his dwarves a great deal. Harry missed living under a mountain, and all of the loud, boisterous dwarves that went with it. He hoped he would see them again soon, and their own journey to the mountain was safe. Hopefully, he would have convinced Smaug of giving them back their mountain by then.

Only Lord Elrond and Glorfindel saw him past the borders of Rivendell. Harry had informed Glorfindel of the truth a few days prior. The golden haired elf had practically already guessed the truth anyway. He could be trusted with the knowledge of just what Harry was.

Once the three of them had reached a relatively secluded area Harry shifted forms, reveling in the stretch of muscles and bones. Changing into his true form always felt like removing a suit that was a couple of sizes too small. Lord Elrond and Glorfindel stared up at him with undisguised awe.

Harry couldn’t help but preen a bit as he brought his head down beside them so that he could say his goodbyes. He was grateful for all of Lord Elrond’s help and thrilled to have a wand that actually worked for him in his possession. Harry was also eager to get going. He was tired of constantly wondering about Smaug’s reaction. Harry was ready to take action, and just get it all over with. He was finally ready to face his father.

With his goodbyes made, Harry launched himself in the air. The elves were barely able to keep their feet from the powerful gust of air from his wings. Harry soared up into the night sky. He set his course towards the Misty Mountains, and there was no looking back. He was on his way.

His days and nights passed in a blur of flying and sleeping. Harry was pushing himself to fly as fast as he could in order to reach the Lonely Mountain as soon as possible. He was making good time but it still took him a couple of weeks to reach Laketown. The sight of the large, dark lake was beautiful in Harry’s eyes for it meant he had almost reached his destination.

Harry was honestly just happy to have finally gotten past the Greenwood or as it was now known the Mirkwood. Harry could understand why the name had changed. Even just flying over it, Harry could smell the rot and decay wafting up from the forest floor. Harry hoped the dwarves wouldn’t have to pass through the awful place.

Harry flew right over the lake, heading straight for the mountain. He could see the distant lights from Laketown. A thick fog hung over the city built on stilts but Harry could still make out the rickety buildings. The sun was just starting to rise when Harry finished crossing the lake. He landed on a cliff over looking the ruins of Dale. It sent a pang through Harry knowing that Smaug had been the one to cause such ruin.

Harry turned his attention towards the large, intricate doors leading into the Lonely Mountain. Harry was filled with a bunch of nervous energy at the sight of the front door. A part of him wanted to just go right up and knock on the doors but he knew he had to take a quick nap. He’d been flying for so long that he really needed to be better rested before he could face Smaug.

Harry slept until around noon. He’d stayed in his dragon form while sleeping for once. It was clear that there wasn’t anyone in the area to spot him. Now that he was a little more prepared, Harry flew the short distance towards the front doors of Erebor. He landed quietly on the ground in front of the doors, and carefully approached the door. His heart was racing as he got closer and closer. It was finally happening after months of thinking about it. Harry would finally be reunited with his biological father. Whether the reunion went well or not was anyone’s guess.

Once he finally reached the door, he lifted one winged forearm and knocked on the door. The force of his knocks caused a loud ring to echo through the valley and mountain. Harry waited patiently to see if his knocking produced any response. There was no sound of stirring within the mountain. Harry knocked again, a little harder this time. It dented the door a little bit but at least this time there was a reaction.

A massive roar tore through the peaceful silence followed by the entire mountain quivering. Harry started back peddling away from the door. Despite himself, he was a little frightened by the anger that sounded through that roar. It turned out to be the right decision for only moments later the large metal doors were flung open, and a truly colossal dragon burst out. His teeth were bared and pure rage was written plainly across his face. He was ready for a fight.

Harry took a moment to simply stare at his father. Smaug had grown even larger over the years they had been separated, and was still easily twice the size of Harry. More scars littered his scales, and there were bits of gold and other things stuck to his underbelly. Harry wasn’t quite prepared for the utter feeling of happiness he felt when he saw Smaug. His tongue flicked out to eagerly take in his familiar scent.

Smaug obviously hadn’t been expecting to face another dragon when he came bursting out of the mountain. He stared at Harry, looking completely baffled to find him there. It didn’t take long for him to shake off the confusion. As soon as he realized that there was indeed another dragon at his doorstep his features once more arranged themselves into pure rage

“Have you come to challenge me for the mountain, little fool?” Smaug demanded, advancing on Harry with a dangerous gleam in his fiery gold eyes.

Harry quickly backpedaled further, making sure not to step on his own tail in his haste, “What? No, of course not. I came—”

“I will destroy any who dare try to steal from me. It is my mountain and my gold. I will not part with a single piece of it!” Smaug cut him off with a roar.

The larger dragon coiled himself, preparing to strike.

“I promise I did not come here for that,” Harry shouted.

“And why should I believe you? What other purpose could you possibly have to come to my mountain if it is not to steal from me?” Smaug retained his aggressive posture but there was the smallest hint of curiosity in his golden eyes.

“If you would only let me explain, I’ll tell you,” Harry declared.

“I suppose I have a bit of free time. You are still but a youngling. You pose no threat to me. You would stand no chance against me if you did try to take the mountain from me,” Smaug proclaimed smugly, a hint of warning in his voice.

Harry didn’t doubt his words. If Smaug really wanted to, he would be able to seriously hurt Harry. Not only was he twice Harry’s size but he also had ten times the experience that Harry did in fighting other dragons. Harry would have to work quickly if he wanted to convince Smaug of who he was.

“When I was younger I was taken from my father,” Harry began.

He gave a quick, heavily edited list of events, which had led him to the front doors of Erebor. Smaug listened, his entire body completely still, reminding Harry of a snake about to strike.

“So I flew across Middle Earth to find my father, and here I am,” Harry concluded.

Smaug blinked once, “You wish for me to believe that you are…”

“Your son,” Harry agreed.

A rumbling chuckle sounded from deep within Smaug’s chest. “Do you truly think that you can deceive me with such an outlandish tale? It was amusing at first. However, it is obvious this is all a scheme to gain my trust so that you can get inside and steal my gold.”

“For Merlin’s sake! There’s no nefarious plot to take your gold! It’s really me. I’m your son,” Harry maintained.

In the next instant Smaug was baring his teeth, and snarling menacingly. “My son is dead!”

“No, I’m not. Give me a chance to prove it,” Harry insisted, scrambling to think of a memory that would convince Smaug of his claim.

“No! No more talking,” Smaug hissed.

“Just look at me. Don’t you recognize me?” Harry asked desperately.

Smaug’s gaze flickered over Harry and for a moment a spark of recognition passed across his features. It fled as soon as it had come, and was replaced by a look of devastated rage.

“I understand now. I am still asleep. This is just another nightmare come to torment me for my failure. You aren’t really here. You’re never really here, and I will prove that you are just another nightmare come to haunt me,” Smaug started to advance towards Harry.

“You aren’t dreaming! I’m really here, I swear. Just use your senses! You’ll realize the truth,” Harry cried, scrambling to find a way to prove himself and keep Smaug at bay.

“Don’t bother trying to confuse me. I won’t allow myself to be fooled again. I will destroy you, and perhaps then your memory will cease to haunt me,” Smaug lunged at him, snapping his massive jaws at Harry.

Harry just barely managed to dodge his wicked looking teeth, probably one of the few things actually capable of breaking through the armor of Harry’s scales. In the next instant Smaug’s tail came smashing into him, sending Harry sprawling across the ground. Pain lanced through his body, and the blow disoriented him for a moment. He was just clambering back to his feet when Smaug’s powerful jaws were clamping around his throat.

“Sire, please!” Harry shouted in panic as the pressure of Smaug’s teeth grinding against his scales grew stronger.

Smaug stopped short. He pulled back for a moment, gold eyes locking with Harry’s own. His forked tongue flicked out to scent the air.

“This isn’t real. It cannot be real. No matter how much I wish it otherwise. No matter how much my senses deceive me,” Smaug murmured, but he was looking less certain of himself.

“It is real. What do I have to do to prove it to you that I am Ancal?” Harry demanded, although he was more than a little relieved that Smaug was backing off.

It was more than a little terrifying having the larger dragon literally at his throat.

Smaug stared at him. There was the smallest bit of hope blooming in his eyes.

“My son was just a drakeling when I lost him. I have never dreamt of him being older,” Smaug murmured to himself looking thoughtful.

“Yes, because this is real! I’ve grown up,” Harry explained.

Without warning Smaug lunged at him and slammed into his side. Being unprepared for the sudden attack caused Harry to flip over onto his back.

Instantly Harry was on guard. He snarled warningly as he tried to flip back over onto his feet. He would do his best to defend himself from Smaug if he had to.

Smaug didn’t let him up. One large clawed hand settled on Harry’s chest to keep him pinned while his fiery gaze flickered over Harry’s underbelly. Finally his gaze locked on something there. Smaug used one of his clawed fingers to trace a small mark on his belly.

“You have to be real. For such a small detail to be here,” Smaug murmured to himself.

“Does that mean I can get up now?” Harry asked warily.

Smaug stepped back, and Harry slowly rolled to his feet. He kept his eyes on Smaug watching him closely for any signs that he was going to try and attack him again. But it didn’t seem like his biological father was going to any time soon. The larger dragon was pacing on the ledge lost in his own thoughts and occasionally sending a glance to Harry.

All at once he stopped moving. He whirled around to look at Harry, and Harry instantly tensed in preparation of another attack.

“I’m not dreaming?” Smaug questioned.

“No,” Harry swore.

“Ancal,” Smaug breathed, happiness shining in his eyes as he finally came to accept that Harry was actually real.

Harry nodded, not bothering to correct him about his name. That could come after Smaug had the chance to settle down, and accept the fact that Harry was alive.

Smaug launched himself at Harry for the third time. But this time it was not an attack. The larger dragon curled around him, nuzzling him affectionately. Harry was thrown off by the drastic change in demeanor but he found it quite easy to relax back into Smaug’s embrace. It was natural for Harry to butt his head beneath Smaug’s chin in sign of trust, and affection. He instantly remembered how to interact with Smaug. It was as if it had only been yesterday that they had seen each other. Harry felt safe and comfortable with Smaug.

“You must tell me everything that has befallen you since we were so cruelly parted,” Smaug insisted, still curled tightly around Harry. It was as if he were afraid that if he let Harry go, he would disappear and never be seen again.

Harry told him everything. It was surprisingly easy for Harry to open up to Smaug. His father was very intelligent, and he was able to quickly understand and accept the information that Harry was telling him. The concept of other worlds full of wizards didn’t confuse Smaug. He was angry that Voldemort had tried to hurt him when he hadn’t been around to protect him. Smaug was pleased that Harry had defeated him in the end. His biological father was much more concerned by the fact they still didn’t know just who had taken him or turned him into a human.

In turn Smaug told him about his own life. Harry couldn’t help the swelling of sorrow as his biological father calmly and indifferently told him about his experiences. Smaug had spent the last several centuries alone. The older dragon didn’t come out and say it but Harry could recognize the bitter loneliness in his voice. Smaug insisted that dragons normally lived alone. It didn’t change the fact that Smaug had been lonely, and had been affected by that loneliness. Harry wanted to change that. 

“I am beyond overjoyed that you are alive. I had resigned myself to the belief that I would never see you again. It is incredible to be reunited once more,” Smaug nuzzled him for the hundredth time.

Harry was still surprised that Smaug was so affectionate to him. He had been when Harry had been younger but Harry didn’t think it would be the same after their years apart and now that Harry was older. This wasn’t the case. Smaug still seemed to view him as still being a child. Harry knew this was probably going to be a problem in the future. For now he accepted the treatment, just enjoying being reunited with his father’s familiar and comforting presence.

“I’m happy to have finally found you, too,” Harry wholeheartedly agreed.

“Yet, I worry that whoever took you will try again. Of course I will not allow such a thing to happen,” Smaug growled, his eyes glowed and smoke rose up from his nostrils.

“Someone already tried,” Harry informed him.

“What! Who would dare?” Smaug roared, the spikes at the crown of his head bristling.

“It was a pack of orcs. They had been sent to take me back to their master the moment I arrived back in Middle Earth. They never said who he was. The orcs had some black potion that made me sick and weak,” Harry explained.

“How dare they try and harm you? I will burn every last orc in Middle Earth to ash until I wipe out their stench once and for all. I should have done it long ago,” Smaug growled.

“I wouldn’t have been able to escape them if it weren’t for the dwarves,” Harry admitted.

He’d decided it was better to just get the issue of the dwarves over with as soon as possible.

“Dwarves?” Smaug rumbled.

Harry felt his heart sink. It seemed that Smaug had a similar attitude towards dwarves that Thorin held towards dragons.

“They saved me from the orcs. The orcs were giving me a potion to make me weak. If the dwarves hadn’t come along I never would have escaped,” Harry repeated, hoping the kindness the dwarves had shown towards Harry would help to alter Smaug’s opinion of them.

“ _Dwarves_?” Smaug muttered again as if still couldn’t quite believe it.

“Yes, they were very kind,” Harry nodded.

“I’m indebted to dwarves for returning my son to me?” Smaug hissed, his tail twitching in suppressed anger.

“Well, they saved my life so I suppose I do owe them,” Harry agreed, cautiously watching Smaug for a reaction. “Not that they asked me to repay them or anything.”

Smaug didn’t say a word. He continued to brood, glaring fiercely at the sky.

“I know they talked a lot about Erebor. It’s actually how I found you. After all, for me it’s only been about fifteen years. I had no idea where you were,” Harry hedged.

“I’m not giving them back the mountain,” Smaug snapped.

“It was their home,” Harry pointed out.

“And now it is ours,” Smaug insisted.

“They miss their home. They want to come back,” Harry admitted.

“Did they ask you to plead their case for them?” Smaug demanded, his eyes flashing with rage.

“No, most of them don’t even know that I was coming here,” Harry explained.

“I will not let the filthy dwarves back into the mountain. It is one of the most well protected places in all of Middle Earth. Now that you have returned to me we need a safe den. And I will not give up the treasure,” Smaug’s body coiled tighter around Harry’s, a silent proclamation that he wasn’t going to give up Harry either.

“What if we shared the mountain and the gold?” Harry blurted out.

He was fairly certain that Thorin wouldn’t agree to such a thing. To be honest, Harry was at a bit of a loss. All of this time getting to Smaug he’d been so worried about what his reaction would be that he hadn’t really spent a lot of time figuring out how he would possibly convince Smaug to give up the mountain. He wasn’t expecting this level of hate Smaug held for the dwarves. Or maybe it was more a reluctance to let go of the treasure he’d been hoarding for over a hundred years.

Honestly, Harry wasn’t sure if he could blame him. Harry knew just how strong the lure of gold could be. He wasn’t even sure he would be able to look at the treasure inside the mountain without going completely gold crazy. Smaug had been living with the gold for years. He’d grown attached to it. He’d also never attempted to resist the temptation of gold that all dragons instinctively had. Harry couldn’t expect him to completely change just because he’d shown up, and it wasn’t exactly fair of Harry to ask him to.

“I do not wish to waste any more time thinking about the dwarves,” Smaug snarled.

“It’s probably a bad time to tell you that a small group of them are on their way here already,” Harry confessed.

The sooner Smaug knew the sooner he could get used to the idea.

“What!?” Smaug roared.

Or not.

He was on his feet in an instant. His whole body was alert, and his eyes scanned the area as if the dwarves were laying in wait.

“They’re still quite a distance away. I flew ahead of them,” Harry explained.

“To warn me of their coming?” Smaug questioned.

“I was hoping to find some way that you, and the dwarves could come to some sort of agreement without killing each other. I’ve grown close with them. They’re my friends,” Harry shifted uncomfortably.

“I don’t like dwarves or really any other race of Middle Earth. Dragons do not share, my son,” Smaug imparted.

“I don’t know how to be a dragon,” Harry admitted, and suddenly he was certain that Smaug would reject him for it.

“Then I will teach you. We have lost so much time with one another I do not wish to waste anymore of it by arguing with you,” Smaug sighed, looking at him sadly.

“I agree, but the dwarves are coming…”

“I will think about what you have said. As you said, we have time before they arrive. Let us get to know one another once more. We will worry about the dwarves when they arrive,” Smaug told him calmly.

It was quite the turn around from his earlier, vehement refusal.

“All right,” Harry agreed slowly, wondering why Smaug had changed his mind.

The two of them were both silent for a moment. Lost in their own thoughts.

“You have spent most of your life believing you were a man, I fear I have lost you even though you are standing right before me,” Smaug said softly.

“You haven’t lost me, only if you don’t want me. I’ll be honest, I probably think more like a human than I do a dragon,” Harry clarified.

Harry knew he had to be upfront with Smaug from the beginning. Harry wasn’t going to change who he was just to get Smaug to like him. Of course he wanted to know his biological father. But if Smaug wanted him to be something he wasn’t then he would save them both the trouble by just breaking ties now.

No matter how much the thought hurt.

Smaug was silent for a long time before he spoke again.

“You are my son. Nothing can change that. Not even if you were still stuck in your human form. I have spent so many years regretting your loss, agonizing over what I could have done differently that day. I will not lose you now. It may be difficult. I am not the dragon I once was. I am aware of that, and until your arrival I saw no reason to change. It may take some time but I believe I am capable of making some adjustments. We will both have to make some adjustments if we are going to become reacquainted once more.”

“I can do that,” Harry agreed.

Harry moved to butt his head under Smaug’s chin, and Smaug curled around him once more. The two of them stayed like that for a time each of them taking comfort just from the presence of the other.

Eventually Smaug’s stomach growled.

“It has been a long time since my last meal,” Smaug explained.

“Then let’s get something to eat,” Harry leapt to his feet.

Smaug flashed a grin that was all teeth.

“Teaching you to hunt on your own is a milestone I missed out on. Perhaps I can still give you some hints,” Smaug climbed to his own feet.

“Just as long as we don’t hunt anything sentient,” Harry added, just in case.

“Very well,” Smaug nodded. “It would be difficult to eat something that until recently you believed yourself to be.”

“Exactly,” Harry sighed in relief that Smaug understood.

“We will have to travel a small distance in order to find some prey. Any game has long since fled due to my presence in the area,” Smaug smirked.

“That’s fine. I love to fly,” Harry assured him.

Another note of sorrow flashed through Smaug’s eyes.

“Yet another thing I lost the chance to teach you,” Smaug remarked.

“I’m sure there are still things you can teach me. Although I should warn you, I’m a pretty decent flier,” Harry boasted.

Smaug chuckled, “We shall see, my son.”

With another quick smirk to Harry, Smaug launched himself skywards. Harry startled, shocked at the ease with which the massive dragon managed to spring into the air.

He quickly shook it off, and followed Smaug into the sky. To Harry’s surprise the moment he caught up with him, Smaug engaged him in a tag-like game. The two of them spun and dived at each other. It was exhilarating to fly with another dragon, and even more so because it brought back happy memories. This had been the reason Harry had wanted to search out his biological father. Without realizing it, Harry had missed the company of another dragon. He wanted the chance to know more about himself, and who better to teach him than his father?

Smaug led them away from the Lonely Mountain. True to his word, he directed them away from Laketown and the Mirkwood.

“You are an adept flier,” Smaug praised him once they had settled down to a more relaxed pace.

“Thank you,” Harry felt a flush of warmth at the praise.

“You get it from me,” Smaug claimed smugly.

Harry snorted, a burst of smoke shooting from his nostrils.

They flew companionably for another hour. The farther north they flew the rockier the area became.

“If we continued this way we would eventually return to the location of our old den,” Smaug commented offhandedly.

“The Grey Mountains, and the Withered Heath, right?” Harry questioned, recalling his lessons with Ori.

“Yes, that is what they are known by. Dragons rarely assign names to land,” Smaug replied.

“Right, must be confusing then if you’re trying to talk about different places,” Harry commented.

“We don’t communicate enough for it to be a problem,” Smaug added sardonically.

Harry nodded, more and more convinced that the life of a dragon was devastatingly lonely. Of course not many seemed to care. Substituting gold and treasure for actual companionship seemed to be enough for most of them. But for Smaug who had that companionship and lost it seemed to realize what he had been missing out on.

Eventually the two of them caught sight of a herd of very large mountain goats running across a rocky slope. They had thick shaggy fur, and the rams had large curling horns.

“Watch me, my son, and do as I do,” Smaug ordered.

He folded his wings, and dropped into a steep dive straight towards the herd. Harry dutifully watched as Smaug snapped out his wings at the last possible moment to sweep over the herd. His back legs struck out and with expert precision snatched up two of the mountain goats. Smaug quickly and easily climbed back into the air with his struggling prizes.

“Now you try,” Smaug nodded towards the panicking herd.

“It’s easy for you to say, you had the element of surprise on your side. Now they’re all scattered everywhere,” Harry complained.

He’d never tried catching something from the air. He’d only hunted on the ground before.

“It will be a good test of your skills,” Smaug insisted, unrepentant.

“Uh huh,” Harry rolled his eyes.

But he couldn’t deny that he was slightly excited about the thought of chasing down the mountain goats. It sent a primitive thrill down his spine. It really went to show how much he had changed since realizing he was a dragon.

However, folding his wings and diving towards the ground was an all too familiar sensation. It reminded him of the many times he’d done the same thing during a Quidditch game. Doing it with his own wings was a little different, and he almost didn’t manage to pull up in time as he was trying to impress Smaug with just how low he was willing to go.

As it was, he still had to drop a little bit lower in order to snatch up the goat he’d been aiming for. He just barely managed to catch the goat before wobbling and crashing into the ground. Rocks and earth everywhere flew everywhere as he flipped over the ground, and landed in a pile of his own limbs.

He pulled himself out of the crater he created, shaking dirt and shrubs off himself. If he’d been in human form his face would have been beet red. He’d completely embarrassed himself in front of his father. At the very least he’d managed to hang on to the mountain goat even if it was a little crushed now.

Smaug touched down beside Harry.

“Are you all right, my drakeling?” Smaug questioned.

Harry nodded unable to quite meet Smaug’s gaze.

“The first time I went hunting on my own, I failed quite miserably,” Smaug commented mildly.

“What happened?” Harry asked, interested in hearing more about Smaug’s life.

“I was very young. My dam had just forced me from the den—”

“Wait, you mean your mother kicked you out?” Harry asked in surprise.

“It is what is normally done when a drakeling is old enough to care for themselves or when the female is about to have a new clutch. Dragons are not social or tender creatures. Normally we only care for our offspring long enough to see them capable of fending for themselves. Sometimes not even that long,” Smaug explained.

“Then why did you do it? Why do you want me around now?” Harry wanted to know.

“I am not like other firedrakes. I have lived a very long life, and have had a lot of time to think. Your dam, Ancia, did not want to care for you. However, there were few great firedrakes left so she did not crush your egg. She left you to me, and though it is rare for a male to care for offspring I decided to keep you. You were _my_ offspring, you see. I wanted to give you a proper chance at life. I did not expect to form an attachment to you. Raising you changed me. When I lost you, I realized how strongly I cared for you. I do not want to lose you again,” Smaug almost seemed to be embarrassed as he answered.

“I don’t want to lose you either,” Harry assured him.

Smaug butted him affectionately. “Eat your goat before the meat gets cold.”

“I will but you have to finish telling me all about your failure,” Harry teased.

“It was not a failure. I do not fail. It was simply a miscalculation, which I assure you never happened again. As I told you I am not your average firedrake, I am better,” Smaug declared.

Harry smirked at Smaug’s wounded pride. But he did as he was told and the two of them went about eating their meals. Smaug continued to tell him about his first hunt.

Harry’s biological father was obviously arrogant and prideful. He didn’t know if it was a trait of all dragons or if Smaug was a special case. Harry couldn’t find it within himself to care. While those traits of his personality leaked through that wasn’t how he was with Harry. Smaug was being completely honest with Harry. Smaug did care about him, and just like when Harry was younger, Smaug was doing all that he could to ensure his wellbeing.

Once they were finished they cleaned the blood from themselves, and stretched out, sunbathing themselves.

Harry took the time to note the differences between Smaug and himself. At first glance the most obvious difference between them was the color of their scales. Harry was as black as an inkwell while Smaug was a deep wine red with hints of gold. There were actually pieces of gold stuck in his scales from years of lying in piles of treasure.

Harry noticed that Smaug had three fingers on his hands, a thumb and two fingers. Harry had four, a thumb and three fingers. Smaug’s body was leaner than Harry’s, and his head was a bit thinner. Harry’s head was more wedged shaped. His brow was wider. Yet it was obvious they were related in the color of their eyes and the shapes of their bodies.

Smaug was likewise taking in his features. The older dragon was obviously pleased to recognize the similarities between the two of them.

Smaug and Harry returned to the mountain once they sufficiently soaked up all of the sun that they could. It had been years since Smaug was outside, and he seemed to have enjoyed lounging in the sun.

Once back at the mountain, Smaug led him inside the mountain. Harry instantly understood why Thorin always went on about Erebor. Even with all the dust, and rubble that littered the hallways, Erebor was far superior to the Blue Mountains. The hallways were massive with intricate carvings lining the walls and ceilings. They were big enough to easily fit Harry and Smaug walking side by side.

Like the Blue Mountains there were hundreds of staircases crisscrossing over vast open spaces. The mountain was huge, and Smaug led him deep inside. Harry had a sinking feeling of just where he was bringing him. He wasn’t sure if he should stop him. Harry had no idea how he was going to react to seeing the treasure hoard of Erebor. According to Thorin his grandfather had amassed piles and piles of gold, and there was no way that Smaug would have left whatever wealth he had originally accumulated behind. At some point he must have brought his own wealth into the mountain at some point too.

However, none of it prepared him for reality of it.

“Now, my drakeling, welcome to my to the vast wealth of my hoard,” Smaug waved a clawed hand towards the treasury.

Harry could only stare dumbly at the sight before him. The room before him was huge. He couldn’t even see the entirety of the chamber. Every single bit of space was filled to the brim with gold coins, gold objects, and large gemstones. Harry couldn’t even see the floor. The gold had to be meters deep upon meters deep.

It was like nothing he had ever seen before. He wanted to dive into it and just roll in the piles of gold, and then never leave it again. Harry’s entire body was vibrating with the effort of resisting the urge to leap into the endless piles of treasure.

“Go ahead,” Smaug nudged him with his muzzle.

Harry didn’t need any further encouragement, and leapt into the gold. He ran and rolled across the surface of the gold trying to take in every little detail of the treasure. He dove into the gold, and buried himself. He dug little tunnels for himself as he moved beneath the heaps of treasure like a child playing the snow.

Harry forgot about everything while he was in the gold. But it wasn’t to the extent that he had feared. It was just like he was a kid again, and completely focused on the game he was playing. He was fully surrounded by gold for the first time since the curse keeping him human had broken. It was an overload of gold that completely satisfied his senses and the craving that had been nagging at him from the depths of his consciousness.

Eventually he surfaced, the initial thrill of the gold having slowly faded. Smaug was sprawled out on one of the mounds of treasure, his eyes closed. His eyes opened when Harry approached him.

“Did you enjoy yourself?” Smaug questioned.

“Yes,” Harry replied sheepishly, embarrassed by his behavior.

“Now can you see why we shouldn’t share the gold with the dwarves?” Smaug commented.

“Yeah,” Harry nodded, before he even realized he was agreeing with Smaug.

At the moment he couldn’t imagine sharing this gold with anyone but his sire. Their scents were similar enough that the primal part of Harry didn’t recognize him as a threat.

Smaug smirked in triumph.

“Wait, no. There’s plenty of gold for us to share,” Harry had to force the words out, and they still tasted bitter on his tongue.

“Are you certain?” Smaug lifted one ridged eyebrow.

“Yes,” Harry nodded firmly.

“The dwarves will spend it,” Smaug coaxed.

“They can also dig up more. That’s what dwarves do, they mine for precious metals and stones, and there’s plenty of gold buried in this mountain,” Harry attempted his own persuasion.

Smaug looked thoughtful. “The dwarves could work for me, mining me more gold?”

“Yeah, kind of…” Harry agreed.

“Perhaps they aren’t completely useless creatures after all,” Smaug murmured. “However, I still don’t like the idea of them crawling about the mountain making noise, and disturbing my sleep.”

“We could have a separate wing of the mountain set up with your part of the treasure, and away from everyone else,” Harry offered.

He figured the dwarves wouldn’t exactly want Smaug close by either. If Harry even managed to convince Thorin to share the mountain with them. At least he had Fili and Kili on his side. Hopefully the three of them would be able to knock some sense into Thorin and Smaug. It was the only way that every one was going to make it out alive.

“That would be acceptable,” Smaug nodded after a moment of deep thought.

“You still don’t have any intention of giving up the gold, do you?” Harry asked.

“No,” Smaug stated blandly.

“Right,” Harry sighed.

“I will speak to Oakenshield once he arrives,” Smaug announced.

Harry frowned, “How did you know he’d be the one coming?”

Harry had told him that dwarves were coming. He hadn’t mentioned them by name.

“Who else would it be? He is the grandson of Thror, and the only one with any strong claim to the mountain since his father’s death by the hands of Azog, the pale orc,” Smaug explained.

“How did you know all that?” Harry was confused.

For a dragon who hadn’t left the mountains in a few hundred years he was quite up to date about the world outside of the mountain.

“We dragons are capable of several gifts. The older a dragon grows the stronger we become. We dragons can potentially live forever unless slain,” Smaug shifted in the gold, making himself more comfortable as he settled in to explain this to Harry.

“So which ability did you use to find out about what was going on outside of the mountain?” Harry moved closer, and settled on the mound of gold beside Smaug.

“When in a deep sleep, we firedrakes can cast our consciousness across the land. The older and more powerful we become the further our mind’s eye can see. I use this ability every now and then while sleeping to watch over Middle Earth in order to keep an eye on things, and ensure there is no threat to the mountain,” Smaug informed him.

“Cast your consciousness?” Harry murmured, a little confused by the concept.

“It is a skill that will take quite a few more years for you to develop yourself. I’ll teach you when you’re older. When I first developed the skill I used it to search for you. However, I was not able to use it properly until decades after your kidnapping,” Smaug glanced away.

“It sounds useful,” Harry nodded.

“It is,” Smaug agreed.

Harry’s thoughts drifted to the dream he’d had while captured by the orcs. It was a little blurry considering the influence the black potion had on his mind. He remembered just wanting Smaug. All he had wanted was to see Smaug, and he had willed himself to see him with every part of his being. When he had fallen asleep he was fairly certain that he did actually dream about him.

He’d dreamt of Smaug here in this very chamber. But now that he knew about this ability had it actually been dream? Had he been able to somehow access this ability to see things while asleep?

It didn’t seem probable considering Smaug hadn’t been able to access this ability until he was much older. Unless his free use of magic, and his magical education at Hogwarts had unlocked abilities that normally wouldn’t manifest until much later. The only real way of knowing was to try it out, and see if he was capable of using it.

He told Smaug about it.

“Perhaps, you were able to access it through your period of stress and need. We won’t know for certain until you try, and for that we must sleep,” Smaug began scooping out a hole in the gold.

He settled down into the hole, and motioned for Harry to join him.

“You do realize I’m not a baby anymore, right?” Harry muttered, joining him anyway.

“It will take me a bit of time before I stop seeing you as my little drakeling. You still are only twenty-five years old. A twenty-five year old dragon is normally still nothing but a child. Being locked in the form of a human made you age faster than you normally would have,” Smaug curled tightly around Harry.

Harry felt utterly safe and content surrounded by Smaug and gold. His eyes drifted shut, and he slipped into a deep sleep.

///

The next couple of weeks passed quickly for Harry. Smaug and he were slowly getting to know one another again. It wasn’t perfect. They disagreed on a lot of things but they didn’t matter in the long run. They got through them, and their relationship was growing stronger all the time.

Harry was also pleased to find that the more time he spent around the gold the more desensitized he became to it. He no longer felt the urge to go out and acquire more gold. There was plenty of gold to satisfy his primal urge right here. The downside was that he was getting slightly attached to the gold he now had. It worried him slightly. But it was something that he would worry more about later on when he actually would have to give it up.

Harry had also been trying to practice the ability of dream seeing, and to his and Smaug’s amazement it was working. In the vaguest sense of the word. The sights that he saw were nowhere near as long or as clear as his first sighting of Smaug. Harry focused on trying to see Fili and Kili. The images were blurry, and were just brief flashes of sound and color. At the very least he knew they were all right, and still making their way towards the mountain.

He’d seen Fili and Kili fighting trolls. The same trolls he had faced himself. He saw them being chased by orcs and then them enjoying a meal in Rivendell. He saw flashes of them walking through endless valleys.

During the times they weren’t sleeping, Smaug was teaching Harry all about dragons. It was nice to learn more about dragons from an actual dragon. Lord Elrond had tried his best to help him but he wasn’t a firedrake. Smaug was more than capable of teaching Harry about everything he wanted to know.

The two of them hunted, and played mock battles on the land and sky. Smaug wanted to teach him how to protect himself by learning how to fight. There weren’t many things that could harm a dragon but they both agreed that whoever had taken Harry originally was still out there somewhere, waiting for the chance to get their hands on Harry once more. So Harry learned how to better control his fire. To breathe it longer and hotter. Dragon fire could destroy anything. Or nearly everything. According to Smaug there was only one thing in all of Middle Earth that dragon fire could not destroy.

This had prompted Smaug telling him all about the One Ring and Sauron. Ori had mentioned it to Harry before but the two of them had mainly focused Harry’s education on dwarfish history. The war with Sauron had been analliance between Men and Elves.

After some reluctance Smaug also told Harry about his biological mother, Ancia. There wasn’t a lot to tell of course, and it only confirmed what Harry had already known about her. She’d abandoned Harry to Smaug without looking back. She was dead now. Smaug didn’t know how. Dragons couldn’t die of old age so she had to have been slain, either by another dragon or by some other race. Harry did feel a small pang that he would never get the chance to confront his biological mother. But other than that he didn’t feel any regret of her passing.

Smaug had also been reluctant to actually call Harry, Harry at first. It was understandable, Smaug had given him the name Ancal. It was the way he thought of Harry when he was remembering him. But Smaug did try to respect his wishes adn call him Harry, he just wasn’t always successful. Honestly Harry didn’t mind it so much.

The time ticked by. Harry was enjoying his bonding time alone with Smaug but he was anxious for the moment when the dwarves would finally arrive. The following confrontation was bound to be catastrophic.

With Smaug so much more active the people living in Laketown were bound to notice eventually. Not to mention the addition of another dragon in the area. When Harry and Smaug took to the air for their mock air battles the sounds of their roars and the flames they produced were sure to not go unnoticed by the town of Men.

Smaug didn’t like the people of Laketown but he didn’t seem all too concerned with keeping a low profile from them. After all the people of Laketown hadn’t been brave enough to dare to approach the mountain even when it was believed Smaug may have been dead.

“The last lord of Dale, Girion shot me with a black arrow. It hit me in the chest and knocked one of my scales free,” Smaug admitted to him, showing Harry the location of the missing scale.

Harry had been asking him about his own version of events of the day he took Erebor.

“Black arrow?” Harry frowned, trying to remember if that had been mentioned in the texts he and Ori had read.

“It is one of the few metals capable of piercing the hide of a dragon besides the claws of another firedrake. There aren’t any more of them left. It is good thing for I do not have to worry about you being hit. Nor myself, for if another black arrow were to pierce me in the same place I would be slain,” Smaug looked aghast to admit such a thing.

“Why not put something else in its place just for an added bit of protection?” Harry wanted to know.

“I suppose I could try. I just haven’t found a need to protect myself. Nothing would be foolish enough to attempt to harm me,” Smaug boasted.

“True, but isn’t it better to be prepared?” Harry asked, he couldn’t help the slight pang of worry he felt at Smaug’s potential vulnerability. It was just his need to protect the people that he cared about.

“I suppose I could try,” Smaug said, when he realized that Harry was actually worried about him.

“Good,” Harry nodded, feeling relieved.

///

Harry was woken one night by a nightmare. Or what he hoped had been a nightmare.

“What’s wrong, my drakeling?” Smaug asked, instantly alert.

“Just a dream, I think,” Harry replied, his mind still a little scrambled from the frantic quality of the dream.

“Perhaps you were Seeing?” Smaug pointed out.

“I hope not,” Harry shuddered.

“What did you see?” Smaug shifted around to face Harry.

“I saw Fili and Kili—”

“Your dwarf friends?” Smaug cut in.

“Yes, I saw them in a flaming tree being attacked by orcs and wargs,” Harry explained, still gripped by the terror he had felt in seeing his friends in such a predicament.

“You saw this clearly?” Smaug frowned.

“Yeah, the first clear image I’ve gotten since I saw you. But I wasn’t even trying to see anything for once. Do you think what I saw was real or a dream?” Harry wanted confirmation.

“Do you normally have dreams that vivid?” Smaug pointed out.

“No, the only dreams I’ve ever had like that turned out to be real,” Harry muttered, remembering the strange dreams he’d had back at the beginning of his fourth year at Hogwarts but had turned out to be Voldemort.

“Then what you saw must have been real,” Smaug shrugged simply.

“I was hoping that it wasn’t. Thorin was attacked by this massive orc with a spiked hand, and Fili and Kili were about to fall to their deaths,” Harry panicked.

“If we’re lucky they did,” Smaug muttered.

Harry whirled on Smaug, and loosed a snarl. “Don’t say that!”

“It was only a jest. I wouldn’t truly wish them dead for your sake,” Smaug sighed.

“They’re my friends. They protected me, gave me a place to stay when I was lost and confused in Middle Earth,” Harry growled, still upset.

He’d been willing to put with Smaug’s attitude at first. But by now he’d been hoping that Smaug would have come around by now.

“I know these dwarves mean something to you. I suppose I just dislike sharing your affections and loyalty,” Smaug admitted.

“They’re my friends, and you’re my father. It’s different the way I feel about you,” Harry explained patiently.

Emotions definitely weren’t Smaug’s strong suit. Dragons didn’t do heartwarming little moments or generally have warm feelings in general.

“I suppose you’ll want to go looking for your friends,” Smaug sighed.

“Yes, I do,” Harry nodded.

“Sleep through the rest of the night. Maybe it will provide you with answers with where you will need to fly,” Smaug suggested.

He was right. If Harry didn’t know where he was going it wouldn’t matter if he left right away. It would be better if he knew the direction he should be going before he went flying off. Besides he couldn’t stop whatever was happening. His vision was happening right as he was watching. There was no way Harry could have reached Fili and Kili in time to catch them before they fell to their deaths. He could only have faith that they would all right until he could find them.

“I’ll stay for the night,” Harry agreed.

Smaug sighed in relief, and the two of them settled down to sleep once more.

It was difficult for Harry to actually fall back to sleep. His mind was churning with worries about Fili, Kili, and the rest of the dwarves’ fates. He tried his best to shake it off. His dwarves were made of stronger stuff. It would take more than that to stop them. Or at least that’s what he kept telling himself.

As he drifted off to sleep his mind brought him across sprawling hills and thick forests. He saw his dwarves flying through the sky on the backs of giant eagles. As soon as he saw that they were all safe the vision drifted away into normal dreams.

The next morning he awoke feeling much better than when he had gone to sleep that night.

“They’re all right, they escaped on the backs of giant eagles,” Harry explained.

“Yes, I saw,” Smaug nodded.

“You checked up on them?” Harry asked in amazement.

“I knew you wouldn’t be able to settle down until you knew the dwarves were safe,” Smaug rolled his eyes.

“Thank you,” Harry nudged Smaug in affection.

“Will you still fly to meet them?” Smaug asked.

“I don’t know. They’re safe for now, and I don’t want to interfere with their quest unless I have to,” Harry said.

“I think this is a wise choice. The dwarves have crossed over the Misty Mountains. They are much closer than they were before, which may explain why you were able to see them more clearly. You will be able to keep a better eye on them, and then if they are in trouble you will have a shorter distance to travel to reach them,” Smaug offered.

“You’re being surprisingly all right with this,” Harry commented.

“I have simply accepted the inevitable. You are my son. You are stubborn and do what you wish no matter what I say. I told you before; I will not lose you again, my son. I may not like your attachment to the dwarves but I know better than to try and dissuade you from going after your friends. The only time I would stop you if there was a true chance of you being in danger. I will let no harm come to you, Harry,” Smaug promised.

“Thank you…sire.”

Smaug’s eyes widened. In the months that they had spent together, Harry had yet to call him sire again after that first time.

Smaug nuzzled him. “Let us go flying.”

Harry was only too quick to agree. There was nothing he liked more than the chance to fly.

Over the next couple of weeks Harry kept a close eye on his dwarves whenever he slept. The closer the dwarves got to the mountain the easier it became for Harry to keep an eye on them. He could watch them for longer stretches with clearer details.

Keeping a closer eye on them meant that he now knew that the dwarves had made their way into the Woodland Realm. The only time he almost went after his dwarves was when he realized they had been thrown in the dungeons of the Mirkwood Elves.

Once again Smaug had cautioned him not to just fly off. Elves were not something to take lightly especially within the boarders of their own kingdom. Smaug had made him wait to see what would happen. The Mirkwood wasn’t that far away from the mountain. It would take Harry less than a day to fly there if he really needed to come to their rescue.

Harry waited a week with the dwarves in the dungeons of Mirkwood. Both he and Smaug had finally decided that the King of the Mirkwood wasn’t going to free them, and the dwarves weren’t going to escape. Harry was preparing to make the journey the next morning after a good night’s sleep. However, that night in his dreams he saw the dwarves’ grand escape down the river.

It would have been amusing if Kili hadn’t been shot. Harry was worried about him. He had woken up from his dreams with the dwarves in fish barrels on the way to Laketown.

“I’m going down to Laketown to meet them,” Harry told Smaug.

Smaug sighed, “If you must.”

“I must,” Harry insisted.

“Very well, I assume you will be taking your human form?” Smaug questioned.

Harry nodded his agreement. This would be the first time Smaug would see him as a human. Harry had spent his months with Smaug completely in his dragon form. Unlike in his human form, he didn’t feel the urge to shift back to his human self. It would have been slightly worrying if he didn’t feel so absolutely comfortable with himself.

“Then you must be extra cautious. You are weaker in your human form, more open to threats,” Smaug fretted.

“I’ll be fine. I survived this long as a human. And I’m not just a human. I’m a wizard. I’ve got my magic to protect me,” Harry assured Smaug.

“Very well, however the moment you are in danger I will swoop down on that town of miserable Lake Men and burn them all,” Smaug swore.

Harry sighed. He was just going to have to accept his father was extremely violent and overprotective. Not necessarily the best of combinations.

“I’ll be fine. Now are you ready to see me change?” Harry asked.

He wasn’t sure how Smaug would take it, seeing him as a human.

“I suppose,” Smaug agreed, eyeing him warily.

Harry closed his eyes and willed his body to change. For a moment nothing happened, and Harry panicked. Had he spent too long in dragon form? Would he be able to change back? Eventually, slowly, his muscles began to shift and twist. His body shrunk and his wings, tail, and scales disappeared. Once it was all over, he felt slightly nauseous. His body shuddered and he felt strangely weak.

“Ancal—Harry, are you all right,” Smaug’s worried face hovered over him.

Harry could better appreciate just how large Smaug actually was now that he was back in his human form.

“I’m fine,” Harry managed to croak out.

“I don’t want you to shift into your human form if it is going to cause such pain and weakness,” Smaug grumbled.

“This has never happened before. It must be because I was in my dragon form for so long. My body forgot how to shift,” Harry murmured.

He was just a tad frightened by the way his body almost didn’t want to change back.

“Of course it forgot. You’ve been forced into a form that is unnatural for you. Why would anyone want to be human when they can be a dragon instead?” Smaug quirked a scaly eyebrow him.

Obviously Smaug thought Harry was insane for wanting to return to a human form.

“I guess it’s just what I’m used to,” Harry sighed.

“You don’t have to take your human form anymore. There is no one forcing you,” Smaug rested his head beside Harry.

“I know, it’s just easier. The people of Laketown will probably be less prone to panic if I go as I am rather than in my true form,” Harry reasoned.

“This is true but I do not like you hiding what you truly are. I don’t like seeing you like this,” Smaug admitted.

“I know its difficult to understand but I grew up like this. I’m as comfortable like this as I am in my true form,” Harry told him firmly.

Smaug didn’t look happy about it but he nodded his understanding. “Give yourself a moment to regain your strength before you run off to Laketown.”

“I will,” Harry nodded.

Once the nausea had passed, Harry got dressed. He shouldered his pack and prepared to leave. He and Smaug made their way towards the entrance of the mountain.

“Be safe,” Smaug cautioned.

“I’ll be back before you know it, sire,” Harry reassured Smaug.

“You better be. I suppose I should prepare myself for an infestation of dwarves?” Smaug commented.

“Yes,” Harry chuckled.

Smaug let loose a put-upon sigh.

“I’ll see you soon,” Harry waved as he walked out the front door.

“Goodbye, my son,” Smaug replied.

Harry couldn’t help but note how forlorn he looked. A part of Smaug seemed to think that he was never coming back. Harry would just have to prove him wrong.

He turned to face the lake, and wondered how he was possibly going to explain things to the dwarves. They had undoubtedly already made their way into Laketown, and would be making their way across the lake soon enough. Harry would just have to make sure that he intercepted them before they got the chance to set sail.

Using his knowledge of transfiguration he fashioned himself a crude boat. It wasn’t anything fancy but hopefully it would last long enough for him to reach Laketown.

The trip across the lake was slow going for someone who was accustomed to flying. But eventually he reached his destination. He steered clear of the people and the docks. He got off the boat in a secluded location.

Now that he was here in Laketown he had no idea how he was supposed to go about finding the dwarves. He thought about just asking someone if they had seen dwarves. The people of Laketown didn’t seem like the friendliest bunch, and Harry didn’t see anyone who would be open to answering his questions.

Luckily he didn’t have to look very far. The dwarves found him.

“Harry.”

Harry turned at the sound of Kili’s voice, and there he was along with several other dwarves, and Bilbo. They all looked more than a little worse for wear but they were alive.

“Kili,” Harry grinned, and rushed over to the dwarves.

They were hiding behind one of the buildings.

“Harry, it is good to see you,” Thorin greeted.

“You too,” Harry smiled. “What are you doing?”

“The Lake Men aren’t willing to help us, so we’re filch some weapons before going into the mountain,” Kili explained.

“What are you doing here? How in the world did you beat us here?” Thorin questioned.

“It’s a rather long story…”

“Have you been up to the mountain yet? Did you speak with him?” Kili blurted out, vibrating in excitement.

“Speak with who? Why would Harry go up to the mountain without us?” Thorin growled.

“Well…” Harry was at a lost for words.

“Gentlemen, I don’t think is the place for this discussion,” Bilbo butted in.

The little hobbit seemed to have gained more confidence in himself during their journey.

“We’ll go back to Bard’s,” Thorin declared.

“What about the weapons?” Nori asked.

“They can wait. I want to hear my nephews’ and Harry’s explanation as to why he would be in the mountain, and who he could possibly be speaking to in there,” Thorin glared darkly between Harry and Kili.

“Right, let’s go then,” Harry agreed.

Kili glanced nervously between his uncle and Harry.

Harry just smiled at his friend, thrilled to see him alive and well.

“How are you?” Harry asked as they made their way back to Bard’s house. Whoever he was.

“I’m good. I can’t wait to tell you all about our journey here. I got shot by an orc,” Kili added as if it was an afterthought.

“Are you all right?” Harry demanded.

“It was just in the leg. Dwarves are made of stronger stuff than that,” Kili brushed him off.

Harry wasn’t quite so convinced. Kili’s brow was sweaty, his skin had a slight pallor to it, and he was obviously having a difficult time staying upright. He was proven correct when, in the middle of telling him about the dwarves’ adventures, Kili fainted.

“Kili!” Thorin cried.

The dwarves all gathered around him.

“I’ll carry him, we should get him back to Oin. He’ll know what to do,” Harry scooped Kili up before anyone could protest.

They picked up their pace to get back to their destination as quickly as possible.

The home they came to was just as run down as the rest of the buildings in Laketown. It was a good deal warmer, and it was obvious that the owners did their best in making the small cramped space welcoming.

The other dwarves were all surprised to see Harry return with the rest of their party. Their focus quickly shifted to the sick Kili.

Oin wasted no time in checking Kili over, and quickly determined that Kili had been poisoned. At that moment Harry wished he knew more about healing magic or even knew more about potions. He felt utterly helpless seeing Kili unwell. Oin seemed equally helpless. The only he could do was clean the wound, and hope that Kili’s body would fight the poison.

Kili of course insisted on putting up a good front. He was smiling and laughing despite the obvious discomfort he was in.

“Now, that we are all here, perhaps you can start explaining, Harry,” Thorin said, bringing everyone’s attention back to Harry.

Harry looked over the familiar faces of the dwarves, and the unfamiliar faces of the three human children. They weren’t exactly children; the older girl and the boy couldn’t have been much younger than himself. 

“Harry’s done nothing wrong, uncle,” Fili cut in.

“No, then why does he wear such a guilty expression on his face. Why does Kili ask him if he has been in the mountain and spoken to the one who lives there?” Thorin demanded.

“Let’s hear the lad out, Thorin,” Balin suggested, always the voice of reason.

“I would like to hear why you left my home when I asked you not to,” a voice growled.

They all turned to see the man in the doorway. The children all rushed to his side. This must have been their father, Bard.

“It is not your concern,” Dwalin growled.

“It is my concern when I have let you into my home, and around my children,” Bard growled back.

“We will be gone soon, as soon as we hear the account of our friend who is keeping secrets from us,” Thorin nodded towards Harry.

Bard looked a bit surprised to see him. “He is not the only one keeping secrets. I know who you really are.”

Thorin and Bard glared at one another. Harry sighed. He knew he would have to be the one to break the tension between the two.

“I was in the mountain,” Harry began, causing gasps from human and dwarf alike.

“There have been sightings, of another dragon,” Bard murmured staring at Harry.

That caused the dwarves’ chatter to grow even louder.

“Quiet! Speak, Harry,” Thorin demanded.

The dwarf king’s temper seemed to have grown even shorter during his journey.

“I was in the mountain, and I’ve spoken with Smaug—”

“You spoke to the beast and lived?” cried Dwalin.

Balin shushed him.

“Smaug let me live because he would never harm me. I’m his son, you see,” Harry admitted.

“Son?” Thorin stared at him uncomprehendingly.

It was a look that most of them wore on their faces. All besides Kili and Fili, of course, who already knew the truth of Harry’s nature.

“Yes, Smaug is my father. I’m a dragon. A dragon who can take the form of a human?” Harry explained.

“And all that time you lived with us, we gave you shelter, and you were a worm in disguise. A wolf in sheep’s clothing or a dragon in a man’s,” Thorin spat.

“I didn’t mean to deceive you. I didn’t even know that Smaug was the one responsible for the loss of your home. When I found out I wanted to help you. It’s why I came here. Fili, Kili, and I thought I could perhaps change Smaug’s mind, and we could get you back your mountain without anyone’s death,” Harry pleaded.

“Fili and Kili knew?” Thorin turned to send dark looks towards his nephews.

Harry was so desperate for Thorin and the others to understand that accidentally let Fili and Kili’s involvement slip out.

“Yes, uncle, we did,” Fili declared proudly. “Harry told us everything. He’s our friend and he wants to help us.”

“Yeah, he was willing to fight his father for us if things didn’t go well. Obviously they have. Right, Harry, things did go well with your father?” Kili asked.

“Yes, Smaug would be willing to share the mountain. He just wants to hammer out the details with Thorin,” Harry figured a little white lie couldn’t hurt to relax everybody.

“Share the mountain?” Thorin demanded in a manner that scarily similar to Smaug’s.

“Yes,” Harry sighed and outlined the same idea he had to Smaug.

“You want me to give up half my rightful inheritance to a dragon?” Thorin snarled.

“We can always mind more once we have the mountain back, uncle,” Fili spoke up, supporting Harry’s idea.

“You would share your birthright with dragons?” Thorin glared at Fili.

“If it meant no one dies then yes,” Fili stood firmly, looking every inch the king he would some day become.

“Besides an alliance with dragons would mean no other kingdom would ever dare march on Erebor ever again,” Kili cheered.

“The lads have a point. If we can get Smaug’s word, the benefits of such an arrangement would far outweigh the negatives,” Balin murmured, nodding to himself while looking deep in thought.

“Does no one remember what that slug did to our people? Am I the only one who remembers our years of wandering?” Thorin cried, throwing up his hands.

“We remember laddie, but we’re tired of fighting. If Smaug’s willing to give up the mountain for half the gold why shouldn’t we take the offer that means no ones death,” Oin stated somberly.

“I’ll give up my portion to Smaug,” Bilbo piped up. “What would a hobbit need with so much gold anyway?”

“Me too, I’ll give up my part too,” Kili cried.

“Mine too,” Fili promised.

“If it means peace for our people. I give my share as well,” Balin said.

Oin, Bofur, and Ori also declared their intentions of giving up their portions. That meant more than half of the company would give up their share to Smaug.

Thorin looked like he was fuming but with more of than half of his company agreeing to give their shares away there wasn’t much he could do but listen.

“I want the Arkenstone in my half of the treasure hoard,” Thorin declared.

“All right,” Harry agreed.

Harry didn’t think that Smaug had any particular attachment to any one piece of the treasure.

Thorin looked a little mollified then.

“Tell your whole story, Harry,” Kili suddenly cut in.

Not seeing any reason not to, now that they had the more important matters out of the way, he did just that. The dwarves and the humans listened closely as he told them his life’s story. They all hung off his every word as he told them about his adventures at Hogwarts. It took him half the night to tell them his story all the way until just this moment.

Thorin and Dwalin listened with frowns on their faces but the others were thoroughly enchanted. Ori was scribbling furiously in an attempt to get down every word. Harry wasn’t sure how he felt about his life possibly becoming a book. He trusted Ori’s ability to present his life’s story in a decent light.

Once his tale was finished the others all agreed to come with him back up to the mountain with him in the morning. Bard offered no resistance. Smaug had been awake for months now, and he hadn’t bothered them. Harry also assured that there would be no reason for Smaug to bother them unless the Lake Men struck first. Bard was content with this. Harry even offered to talk to Smaug about letting the Men back into Dale.

Nothing was set in stone of course. It all hinged on Smaug’s reaction to the dwarves, and whether or not Thorin and Smaug uphold their ends of the bargain.

Harry could hope, and do all he could to ensure that things went smoothly. At least he knew he had Fili and Kili on his side. He also had a few other unexpected allies in Ori, Oin, Balin, and Bilbo.

Harry fell asleep that night worried about what the morning would bring. For tomorrow Thorin and Smaug would meet. Everything could go wonderfully or everything could burn right before his eyes.

Only time would tell.


	5. Desolation Comes Upon the Sky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I am alive. I won't go into detail about my lengthy absence because I think you've all waited long enough for this chapter. But long story short life has been… interesting which made things difficult to try and write anything due to lack of time and will. Anyway here's the fourth part of Incendio and I hope you all enjoy!

The next morning was a quiet affair for the dwarves. Most of them were still leery of Harry. Even the ones who had stood up for his plan of negotiating with Smaug. No one brought up Harry's change in status from friend to possible foe. They were probably still trying to absorb the information Harry had told them last night. He knew it was hard to believe. Harry wasn't sure he would have believed it if he hadn't seen both Middle Earth and Earth with his own eyes.

The dwarves had been on a time constraint to reach the mountain. The secret door leading into Erebor only opened at a certain time on a certain day. Durin's Day fell today. However, they no longer needed to use that particular door since they had access to the front doors via Harry.

Thorin wanted to get to the mountain as soon as possible anyway. The others wanted the chance to rest up a bit before they risked going up against Smaug. Harry was certain that it was all a bit more intimidating for them knowing for certain that Smaug was alive and awake up there in the mountain, waiting for them. They had been on one crazy adventure after another, and if they were going to face a dragon they wanted to be ready for it.

In the end the other dwarves compromised with Thorin. They would spend just one more day in Laketown before heading up to the mountain. Harry was certain that the big motivator was Kili's worsening condition. The dark haired dwarf prince was growing steadily paler by the hour.

Fili and Harry were worried.

"Is it the same poison that the orcs used on me?" Harry asked of Oin.

Kili was currently laying down in a fitful sleep.

"It's something similar. The fever, the pallor, and the weakness seem to all be similar symptoms. The black ichor from the wound looks the same as well. Eventually you were able to fight off the toxin on your own. However, you might have a stronger tolerance being what you are," Oin admitted.

"Oin's right, you got better the longer you were off it. Yet, Kili seems to only be getting worse," Fili worried.

"We can only wait, and hope that he fights this on his own," Oin sighed.

Harry once more was swamped by hopelessness.

"He's strong, he can do it," Harry said firmly.

Fili nodded his agreement even if he looked as worried as Harry felt.

The day was spent with Fili, Oin, and Harry standing vigil over Kili, who was confined to his bed. To distract Kili, Harry made Fili and Kili tell him about their journey again, which they were more than willing to do. They told him about every little detail of their adventures. Harry had seen brief snippets of it in his dreams but it was nice to hear the entire tale from them. They had even had a run in with the same trolls that Harry had. If it hadn't been for Mr. Baggins' quick thinking they would have been cooked.

"I did wonder how the one with the ladle hurt his arm," Fili mused.

"They're nothing but stone now," Kili grinned.

"As long as they're not terrorizing families any more," Harry shrugged.

The other dwarves went about their own business. Bombur, Bofur, and Bifur talked and laughed amongst themselves as they rested. Nori went out scouting into Laketown while Dori kept Ori the farthest distance from Harry that he could in the small flat. Thorin, Dwalin, and Balin were in deep discussion. They did keep an eye on Kili's progress, and on Harry.

Bilbo hovered between the different groups before Harry invited him over to sit with Fili, Kili, and he. The hobbit was slightly terrified at first but he reluctantly joined them for the rest of the afternoon. Soon the hobbit settled down and was providing Harry with a much more accurate description of their journey across Middle Earth.

Things remained relatively the same, until night fell. Kili's condition worsened. Sweat poured off of him, and he began to thrash on the pallet he laid on.

"I need something to break this fever," Oin worried.

Harry wracked his brain for something. He'd had four years of a magical education he had to have learned something in that time to help Kili.

"Kingsfoil!" Harry suddenly cried, he hoped that Middle Earth even had such a plant.

"The weed? We use it to feed the pigs," Bard frowned.

"I'll get some!" Bofur offered and rushed from the house.

The rest of them stayed behind. It was a good thing too. Only moments after Bofur had left, orcs burst through the doors.

Harry had a moment of panic as the stench of orcs hit him. Seeing his friends in danger managed to snap him out of it. He whipped out his wand and, threw a couple of stunners at the orcs. The spell did its job in knocking the orcs off their feet, and rendering them vulnerable. The dwarves quickly moved to dispatch them.

The dwarves had just finished them off when elves appeared. One was a red haired female, and the other was a pale haired male. The dwarves and elves were obviously familiar with one another. If their disdainful expressions for one another was anything to go by.

"What are you doing here, elf?" Thorin demanded.

"One of your members was hit with a morgul arrow. The poison will kill him. I can help," the red haired elf butted in.

"You can help him?" Fili demanded.

"Yes," she nodded confidently.

"He's this way," Fili immediately showed her the way to Kili.

Oin followed but Harry stayed to watch the interactions between Thorin and this mystery elf. They clearly hated one another.

"There are more orcs running about the town. They followed you from the Woodland Realm," the elf announced his blue eyes turning towards the town.

"Dwarves, grab a weapon we'll get rid of this scum," Thorin growled.

The dwarves did just that, even Bard grabbed a weapon to join them in ridding the town of orcs.

Harry made to join them but the scream from the other room had him pausing. The elf, dwarves, and Bard were more than capable of taking care of the orcs. Harry turned to go check on his friend.

Bofur had returned with the kingsfoil. He'd given it to the red haired elf woman, and she was now chanting over Kili's body in her lyrical language. Harry could feel the magic building in the room. The hair along his arms rose, and his body tingled.

The magic came to a crescendo, and Harry was immediately relieved to see the color start to return to Kili's cheeks. Fili was just as relieved. He ran to his brother, and clutched him close. Harry joined them, the warmth of his joy suffusing him.

"Thank you," Harry nodded to the red haired elf.

"It was my pleasure," she assured.

"What's your name?" Harry asked.

"I am Tauriel, and you?"

"Harry."

"I could not in good conscious leave him to die. No one deserves such a gruesome death. Now, if you can excuse me I must seek out my prince and ensure he is well," Tauriel said her goodbyes to the others and took off into the night.

"Prince?" Harry asked.

"He's the Prince of Mirkwood, Legolas," Fili explained.

Harry nodded. While Fili and Oin settled Kili down into a comfortable sleep, Harry, Bilbo, and Bofur set about helping Bard's family pick up their house from the impromptu fight.

The dwarves and Bard returned soon after they had finished their cleaning. They had gotten rid of all of the orcs except one. Tauriel and Legolas had taken off after the remaining orc to hunt him down. The fight hadn't gone unnoticed by the people of Laketown. The Master of the Lake, a greedy and obnoxious man, was calling for their arrest. It was now necessary for them to leave as soon as possible to avoid being stopped by the Lake Men.

Harry carried Kili, despite his protests, while the others gathered whatever other supplies they might need. Bard had gotten them a boat to take to the shores of the mountain. The man still wasn't completely thrilled with what they were doing but he was wary enough of Harry to help send them off. They clambered inside and took off in the dark of the night.

The sun was coming up by the time they reached the opposite shore. They took the time to rest a moment before pushing on in their trek towards the mountain. Kili may have been healed from the poison but his leg was far from fully healed and it slowed him down. They had to stop several times to let him rest before Harry decided to do something about it.

"I'm going to take my true form so Kili can ride on my back," Harry announced after the third time they stopped for Kili to rest.

It would be good for the dwarves to get used to his dragon form a bit before they reached the mountain. It would prepare them for seeing Smaug who was even larger and more intimidating than Harry.

The dwarves instantly looked wary, staring at him with slightly fearful expressions. Harry felt a little embarrassed as he stripped down to his pants what with the way their eyes were completely locked on his every move. Harry shrugged it off. It was better to get this over with now rather than later.

Harry took a few steps away from the party, and began the change. His body sighed in relief as he retook his true form. Only once the change was complete did he dare look in the direction of the small group.

Fili and Kili were obviously used to the sight. The others wore expressions ranging from terrified to complete awe. Harry immediately lowered himself towards the ground to lessen the effect of his size.

"I think you grew since the last time I saw you," Kili exclaimed, breaking the tense silence and moving over to Harry's side without a hint of fear or unease.

"It's possible, Smaug says I haven't grown into my adult size yet," Harry commented.

"Up you get," Fili helped Kili up onto Harry's back.

Once the dwarf was up, Harry stood.

"I missed this, can we fly to the mountain?" Kili asked.

"Absolutely not, it's bad enough you're up there to begin with," Thorin snarled.

"It's fine, uncle, Fili and I have ridden on Harry's back loads of times," Kili waved away his uncle's concerns.

This didn't alleviate Thorin's concerns in the slightest. The dwarf king looked even angrier at the knowledge. Thorin hadn't confronted his nephews about keeping the truth about Harry from him yet. It was obvious that anger was stewing inside of him just waiting for a chance to be unleashed.

Harry wouldn't have been surprised if Thorin hated him utterly and completely now. Not only was he the son of one of his most hated enemies but he had gotten his beloved nephews to keep a huge secret from him. Harry hoped that with time Thorin would forgive him, and realize that he was still the same person he had been when he lived with them in the Blue Mountains.

"We'll stay with the Company," Harry decided.

Kili whined about not being able to fly.

"What did I tell you? I'm not a pack mule," Harry growled back playfully, he was hoping he could prove to the dwarves he was no different now that he was in his dragon form.

Kili snorted. "And I told you, I'm Kili the Dragon Tamer you have to do as I say."

That earned some chuckles from some of the others. The over all mood brightened slightly after seeing the ease with which Kili and Fili interacted with him while he was in his dragon form.

They still kept a great distance between themselves and Harry but they were growing more comfortable in his presence. Ori even began asking him questions. Dori tried to stop him but for once Ori stood up to his brother, and insisted on learning everything he could about Harry's dragon form.

The trip took them most of the morning. It was agonizingly slow for Harry to travel across the ground especially since he had to stop and wait periodically for the dwarfs to catch up to him. His much greater size meant just one of his steps had him traveling greater distances than the dwarfs could when running.

They did eventually reach the front doors. Harry gave a little knock to let Smaug know they were there, and pushed the door open. Smaug had left it unblocked so that Harry could easily get back in when he returned.

Harry listened carefully as they walked inside to locate where Smaug was. He could hear the larger dragon moving towards the Gallery of the Kings. It made sense. Smaug would no doubt want to keep the dwarves away from the treasure hoard as long as possible.

"This is incredible," Kili breathed, in awe of his surroundings.

"I remember this stone, this hall," Thorin's eyes were surprisingly wet as he looked around the large hall.

The older dwarfs were of a similar mind, and were looking around their old home in joy and happiness. The younger dwarfs and Bilbo who had never seen it before simply looked around with a similar sense of awe as Kili.

"This way," Harry turned, leading the small group towards where Smaug was waiting for them.

They followed him reluctantly. The further they went into Erebor the stronger the scent of fear grew. He wished he could put the dwarves' minds at ease but he honestly had no idea how this meeting was going to go. In fact he was so nervous he had Kili get down just incase he had to get between Smaug and the dwarves. He wouldn't have to worry about endangering Kili while he was on his back.

When they stepped into the Gallery of the Kings, Smaug was waiting for them there. He heard the deep inhalations and the scent of fear grew even stronger. Smaug's golden gaze swept over the small party, his eyes calculating. Harry moved across the stone floor to greet Smaug.

"Sire," he gently head butted Smaug.

"My son, I am glad you have returned to me," Smaug nuzzled him back.

Harry could see the obvious relief in his eyes. His eyes hardened once more when he turned back to look at the dwarves.

Thorin was glaring at Smaug while the others looked a lot more uncertain when faced with two dragons. Smaug was also twice the size of Harry, which was rather intimidating in and of itself. Harry wasn't exactly small especially when compared to the dwarves and Bilbo. Smaug was even larger.

Harry decided he would have to do the introductions since no one else seemed capable or willing to speak.

"Everyone this is my father, Smaug. Sire, this is Thorin Oakenshield and his Company. These are my good friends, Thorin's nephews, Fili and Kili. The others are Dwalin, Balin, Oin, Gloin, Ori, Dori, Nori, Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur. Then of course the hobbit, Mr. Bilbo Baggins," Harry pointed out each of the company as he said their names.

"I would say it is a pleasure, but it isn't," Smaug spoke, his deep voice reverberating through the chamber.

"I quite agree. The stink of dragon is quite foul in the halls of my forefathers," Thorin spat.

Smaug growled, and snaked his head down to the dwarves' level.

The other dwarves shifted uncomfortably and some even took a few steps back but Thorin held his stance.

"Listen closely,  _dwarf_. I am Smaug! My armor is like tenfold shields. My teeth are swords. My claws are spears. The shock of my tail is a thunderbolt. My wings a hurricane. And my breath is death! I don't have to let you back into the mountain. I don't have to give you access to the treasury. And I don't have to give you back the Arkenstone. The only reason you are here is because my son has some misplaced affection for you," Smaug hissed into Thorin's face.

Thorin took having a very large, very angry dragon snarling into his face a lot better than most. He just continued glaring right up at Smaug.

"Considering that this is my mountain to begin with, it's awfully generous of you, slug," Thorin snarled back.

"Oh, Merlin," Harry sighed as Smaug's chest began to glow ominously.

" _Your_  mountain?" Smaug roared, rearing back to his full, intimidating height. " _I_  laid low your warriors of old.  _I_  instilled terror in the hearts' of Men.  _I_  am King Under the Mountain."

"Merlin's balls, why did you have to bring that up?" Harry barely resisted the overwhelming urge to smash his head against a wall. This couldn't be going any worse.

The two of them were scarily similar when it came to possession of the mountain and treasure, and it meant that neither of them was ready to give an inch to the other.

The others were all shifting uncomfortably due to the rapidly rising tension in the room. The dwarves were nervously reaching their hands towards their weapons, and Mr. Baggins had his hand in his front pocket, nervously fiddling with whatever was inside.

"That's enough, both of you," Harry growled, stepping between them.

"It is of no use, my son. We will not come to an agreement. I did try, however," Smaug stated.

"It's barely been a minute since you've met each other. I don't think that counts as trying. So why don't we all calm down a bit and try a little harder," Harry snapped.

"And why should we trust you? You've done nothing but lie to us since we first met," Thorin snapped at him.

"Uncle," Fili protested.

"You dare speak ill of my son when he has done nothing but defend you, dwarf?" Smaug's eyes glowed fiercely and his tail lashed angrily against the columns in the room, making them creak ominously.

"I simply speak the truth. You wyrms cannot be trusted to be honorable and keep your word," Thorin replied.

"And we can trust the word of a dwarf such as yourself? You are just as greedy as you claim me to be," Smaug snarled, teeth flashing.

Harry recognized the signs. He knew Smaug was seconds away from actually snapping at Thorin, and cause the entire meeting to end in disaster.

"Sire, wait. Let me speak to him," Harry turned to Throin. "You helped me and protected me when I really needed it. In return I kept the truth about who I was from you. I betrayed your trust, and I apologize for that. You may not ever forgive me, and that's fine but we need to move forward if you want to get the mountain back."

"Harry's right, Uncle," Fili spoke up. "I know you may not trust his word, but I do. Harry's my friend. He saved my life, and he's trying to help us now. This isn't you. Your greed is clouding your better judgment, Uncle. You know Harry, you just didn't know one aspect of him. If you let yourself, you'll see that he is the same person we met over a year ago."

Thorin and Smaug glared at one another but neither made a move to antagonize the other further, which was a drastic improvement. Of course Harry didn't expect it to last, considering they nearly came close to attacking one another within five minutes of meeting each other. Thorin kept egging Smaug on, and Smaug seemed all too willing to fall for the bait.

"Besides, it's not like we'd stand a chance against Smaug. We might as well try to negotiate with one another," Kili butted in.

Thorin sent his nephew a glare but Smaug looked intrigued.

"I like this one. He recognizes the truth of my magnificence," Smaug purred, snaking his head towards Kili.

Kili's eyes got big as Smaug came to rest his head beside him.

"Nice to meet you," Kili managed to squeak.

"Which one are you again?" Smaug asked.

"I'm Kili," Kili replied with a little more confidence.

"Ah, you are a friend of my son's," Smaug nodded.

Kili nodded.

"We both are. I'm Fili," Fili bravely stepped up beside his brother.

"Well met, Fili, Harry has told me a lot about both of you," Smaug greeted.

"Has he?" Thorin questioned, looking suspicious.

"Yes, he's told me of the mischief the three of you got up to whilst staying in the Blue Mountains," Smaug added.

Thorin's eyes widened a bit in surprise.

"Did he tell you about the time we dyed Dwalin's clothing?" Kili piped up, grinning widely.

"Oi, you don't need to bring that up here, you rascal," Dwalin growled, face turning a bright red as he glanced up at Smaug.

Smaug's booming laughter thundered around the hall.

The sound of it seemed to startle and unsettle the dwarves more than his snarling had. The growling the dwarves had been prepared for. No doubt they hadn't believed Smaug was capable of mirth, and it made them uncomfortable to see him laughing over something as small as a prank.

"He did," Smaug answered Kili, oblivious to the shock and confusion of the dwarves.

"Let's get back to the topic at hand," Thorin redirected.

"Certainly. Harry has brought up the option of sharing the mountain between us. We would have our own private section away from you dwarves so that we need not worry about interacting with one another. I would be amendable to this arrangement as long as I keep half of the hoard," Smaug turned his attention back towards Thorin.

"I don't see why you would need half of the treasure. What do you plan to do with all the gold beyond lounging in it?" Thorin argued.

"It is none of your business what I do with my gold, dwarf. A portion of the gold is my own that I brought with me from my own hoard. I also don't have to give back the mountain. You dwarves would stand little chance against me if I chose not to be quite so generous. I think half of the treasure hoard is a considerable concession on my part. Or perhaps I should argue for three quarters of the treasure," Smaug suggested, glaring at Thorin.

Thorin had to know that Smaug had him backed into a corner. Thorin didn't have an army to back him at the moment. He had to know that there was no way he would be able to get Smaug out of the mountain without possibly losing his own life or those of his company in the process. But Thorin seemed to be acting a bit harsher than Harry remembered him being. He'd always been stern but now that he was so close to getting back the mountain he almost seemed callous. His only focus was on getting back the mountain no matter the cost.

"I will consider agreeing to this only if I get the Arkenstone in my half of the treasure, and if you agree to help defend Erebor should an enemy rise up against us," Thorin stated.

"I would agree to help you protect the mountain from enemies. For a fee," Smaug countered.

"A fee?" Thorin demanded, blue eyes narrowing.

"Sire, you know you'd protect the mountain from intruders without being paid," Harry rolled his eyes.

Smaug shot him an angry look that clearly said 'But the dwarf didn't know that.'

Harry stared back, unimpressed.

Smaug heaved a huge, put upon sigh, "Very well, a small fee."

"Sire!" Harry growled.

"No fee," Smaug spat in disgust.

"Good, then I will not be forced to charge you rent for living in my mountain," Thorin grinned smugly.

Smaug's eyes narrowed, lips curling.

"Now that we have that squared away. We can move on to the other matters. Where would be a good place for us to move?" Harry broke in.

Soon they were in a full on negotiation. Balin jumped in to the conversation to help keep things diplomatic as the two of them had devolved into childish name calling several times. Harry only stepped in when it looked like Smaug's temper was going to explode, and cause a fiery death for all of those involved.

Eventually, after several hours of negotiations, Smaug and Thorin came to a reluctant agreement. They'd gone over every possible little detail about what each of them would be getting out of a truce between the two of them. It would be up to Harry and the other dwarves to make sure that the two of them stuck to their agreement.

It was obvious that the two of them still hated each other but at least the extensive negotiation had gone a long way in settling the tempers they'd both had at their initial meeting.

The true test of their reluctant truce came when Smaug led them back down to the treasure hoard.

"By my beard," Dwalin gasped at the sight of the vast wealth of Erebor laid out before them like a sea of gold.

The other dwarves were far too stunned to do anything but stare. Smaug looked both smug, and a little annoyed at having the dwarves near the gold that he had for so long considered his. Harry was just relieved that he didn't feel the same way. His gold tolerance had increased over the past few months after being surrounded by it.

Thorin was the first to break out of his trance.

"Quickly, let us search for the Arkenstone," Thorin commanded.

"I know exactly where it is. I will get it," Smaug announced.

His massive frame stepped easily over the dwarves, and moved across the piles of gold with practiced ease. Thorin frowned but he actually waited while Smaug went about getting the Arkenstone.

Smaug carefully dug through the piles of gold. The larger firedrake had a perfect memory when it came to the treasure hoard. He knew exactly where every single piece of treasure was located.

"Over here, dwarf," Smaug called.

Thorin shot off across the gold so quickly Harry thought he'd been hit with a stinging hex. He returned carrying a glowing opalescent stone, and wearing a triumphant smile on his face. The other dwarves quickly gathered around it to get a better look. Harry felt no particular draw towards the stone, and wondered what was so special about the glowing rock.

They spent several minutes oohing and ahhing over it. Smaug used that time to start scooping up piles of gold into his mouth.

"What are you doing?" Harry frowned.

"I'm moving our half of the treasure to our new chambers," Smaug answered.

Or least that's what Harry thought he said. It had come out pretty garbled around his mouthful of gold.

"'Elp ee," Smaug commanded.

Harry sighed, this was going to take forever. But he wasn't going to carry any around in his mouth. He was also a wizard and would be using his magic to relocate the piles of gold. Harry returned to his human form, and pulled out his wand. Using  _Wingardium Leviosa_ , he started to levitate small piles of gold to their new home.

Thorin and Smaug had chosen a section of the mountain that had been under renovations at the time Smaug had attacked to be Smaug's new home. The wing was actually going to be a new addition to the treasury, and was located up near the top of the mountain, and was a good distance away from the main living area. Thror had started to get quite paranoid towards the end, and had built it to get his gold away from the other dwarves.

It was very private, and would be difficult for a dwarf to accidentally stumble into since the only way to get to it had been a flight of stairs. However, that flight of stairs leading up to it had been completely shattered by Smaug. The only way up to it would be to fly or to do some serious rock climbing up a sheer wall. Smaug was planning to melt the stone around the entrance to smooth it out, and make climbing up to it impossible. It was also large enough to hold all of the gold, and for Harry and Smaug to move around comfortably in. With a little work it would have its own private entrance and exit to the outside of the mountain.

It took Harry and Smaug two days to move all of Smaug's half of the gold into his new nest. Once it was all up in their new corner, Smaug set about to melting the cliff wall to keep out unwanted intruders.

The dwarves had been busy as well while Harry and Smaug had been setting up their new quarters. They had set up camp in the main hall where they had been negotiating earlier. Thorin had sent off ravens to inform the other dwarves that it was safe to move back into the mountain. He hadn't told them about the agreement with Smaug. It was decided that could wait until the other dwarves were already there. Otherwise they may not come knowing Smaug was still alive, and there was in fact another dragon with him.

Harry spent some of his time in the main hall with the dwarves, catching up with them and their adventures. They were celebrating. It may not have been the victory they had been hoping for but at the end of the day they still got their home back. They had all survived their journey, they had their home back, and they could start rebuilding their lives within the secure walls of Erebor.

Thorin had kept his word and divided the remaining half of the treasure among the company. The newly crowned dwarf king had calmed down, and become much more rational once the Arkenstone was back in his possession. Now he was concerned about protecting his reclaimed kingdom from all those who would no doubt try and take it from him.

Once the dwarves fell asleep, Harry would return to his dragon form, and make his way towards Smaug's new chambers.

The older dragon was still carefully looking over, and rearranging his portion of the gold into his new cavernous suite to his satisfaction.

"How are you adjusting?" Harry asked.

He was concerned about Smaug. The other dragon hadn't experienced so much change in centuries as he had the last few days.

"Surprisingly well. It was rather invigorating to bargain with Oakenshield. It made me realize how complacent I've become over the centuries. In my youth a day did not pass when I did not have to be cunning in order to outwit a stronger and fiercer opponent. It also helps to know that the other half of the gold is just a short distance away, and I can always get it back if I truly wanted to," Smaug settled himself down in the gold.

There was still more than enough gold to completely bury the massive dragon, and for Harry to swim in. If the two of them were so inclined.

"Will you?" Harry asked.

"No, I suppose not. This is more than enough to satisfy me, along with your company. However, I have no desire to seek out the company of dwarves. We can sound proof the chamber, and it will be as if the dwarves aren't even here," Smaug smiled.

Harry laughed, and moved to curl up against Smaug's side. The older dragon easily made room, wrapping a winged forearm around Harry.

"I'm really impressed with the way you've handled everything the past few days," Harry commented.

"Are you?" Smaug's voice held a hint of surprise.

"Yes, of course I am. You only tried to set fire to the dwarves twice," Harry teased.

Smaug chuckled.

"But honestly, I really appreciate what you've done. I know it can't be easy for you, and you've done this all for me. I don't know how to thank you," Harry murmured.

"Are you happy?" Smaug questioned.

"Yes, of course," Harry agreed, confused about why he was asking.

"Then I'm happy, and there is no need for thanks," Smaug told him simply.

Harry didn't know how to express out loud how much that meant to him. Harry hadn't had many adults who cared about his happiness growing up. The first had been Sirius and Remus when he was already thirteen years old. Instead, Harry just snuggled closer to Smaug's side, nuzzling his head beneath Smaug's chin, and humming loudly in contentment. Smaug hummed back, and the two of them drifted off to sleep.

They were woken by loud shouts. Harry recognized Fili and Kili's voices calling his name.

"Tell the dwarves to quit their shouting or I'll change my mind about our agreement. I can't have them pestering me whenever I want to take a nap," Smaug muttered as he shifted, and settled back down into the coins.

Harry got up to see what was going on. He peeked over the edge of their new chambers to see Kili and Fili standing there.

"Harry! Thank Mahal we finally got your attention," Fili shouted up at him.

"What do you need?" Harry asked.

"Something's happening outside, you and Smaug should both come," Kili answered.

"What's so urgent, little dwarf?" Smaug appeared at Harry's side.

"Elves—" Fili began only to be cut off by Smaug's growl.

Smaug's features twisted into a fierce scowl, and he leapt from the ledge with surprising speed. Fili and Kili yelped as Smaug glided over their heads and landed behind them. The large red dragon was already storming through the halls of Erebor by the time Harry made his way down from the ledge.

"What is it about elves?" Harry asked Fili and Kili as they quickly tried to catch up to Smaug.

"An army of Mirkwood elves has turned up in Dale. The Men of Laketown have started to join them," Fili answered.

"Who knows what they're plotting," Kili commented with a frown.

"But we told Bard that I would talk to my father about them moving back to Dale. I thought they would at least wait to move until I confirmed it. My sire's patience is already stretched thin from allowing all of you into the mountain," Harry muttered.

"He's not much fond of change is he?" Kili grinned.

"No, definitely not," Harry nodded.

"I don't think Bard has much say in Laketown. In fact the Master of Laketown seemed to hate him. Perhaps Bard hasn't even gotten a chance to tell the rest of his people about us," Fili offered.

"True, the Master seemed like an awful sort. He'd want to get his hands on the wealth of Erebor any way that he could," Kili agreed.

The three of them made their way out to the front entrance. All of the dwarves were out on a rampart over looking Dale. Smaug was curled just inside the shadows beside Thorin both of their gazes intently locked on Dale, and the people crawling all over it.

"Smaug and Uncle are wearing matching expressions," Kili chuckled.

"Hopefully giving them a common enemy will unite them," Fili agreed with a grin.

"The only thing Uncle hates more than Smaug are the elves," Kili nodded.

"He might even hate them more. Smaug was just following his instincts when he took the mountain. The elves on the other hand turned their backs on us when our people were starving after they claimed they were our allies," Fili scowled.

"What do you think they want?" Harry questioned.

"They want to lay claim to the treasure. What other purpose could they have gathering an army outside the mountain but to try and rob us?" Thorin spat.

"No doubt they believe me to be dead, and seek to scavenge the mountain while you lack proper reinforcements," Smaug hypothesized.

Thorin grunted his agreement.

"Bard said there were rumors of another dragon. Surely the Lakemen would pass it on to the elves," Kili brought up.

"The Master's greed for the gold inside would keep him from sharing such information. If he even believed such rumors himself," Thorin rationalized.

"So what's our plan?" Harry asked.

It was a little daunting to see an actual army forming such a short distance away. Harry had faced down Voldemort and his Death Eaters. He'd fought a basilisk with only a sword, and brought down a mountain troll by shoving his wand up its nose. Harry had also been in a few magical duels. But those had been silly childish fights.

The army of elves was nothing like anything he had encountered before. This could turn into a real battle, and Harry wasn't sure he was prepared for something like that. Realistically he knew that he could probably take anything they threw at him in his dragon form. But Harry didn't know if he could kill another sentient being. He supposed if they were really going to attack he would do what he had to, to protect his friends and father.

"We wait, and see what they want. My cousin Dain should be here in a few days with reinforcements. And of course we have the two of you, don't we?" Thorin cast stern glances at both of them.

"Don't worry yourself, Oakenshield, I hold no more love for elves than you do. The last thing I want are those shimmering, prancing forest dwellers trying to crawl about the mountain, and take my gold," Smaug snorted in displeasure.

"We will continue to fortify the mountain in preparation for an invasion," Thorin commanded.

The dwarves quickly set about to gathering weapons and preparing for war. Harry helped them move around large chunks of broken stone to block the front gate while Smaug watched.

"You could help you know," Harry commented.

"I am, I'm conserving my strength for the battle," Smaug answered, checking over his claws.

Harry sighed and went off to help. Eventually he took his human form to try his hand at transfiguring a few blockades near the front of the gates. He was moderately successful. He just hoped that they actually held.

He was passing through one of the halls when he caught sight of the back of the hobbit, Mr. Baggins, in an alcove.

"Mr. Baggins," Harry greeted the hobbit.

The hobbit startled, and whatever had been in his hand dropped and pinged its way across the stone floor.

"Oh, you startled me, Harry," the hobbit gasped, and quickly crouched down in search of whatever he had dropped.

Harry followed his lead, feeling bad that he had startled the poor hobbit.

"I'm sorry for scaring you, Mr. Baggins," Harry apologized.

"It's quite all right, Harry, I was just, uh… checking something. Do you see it?" Mr. Baggins sounded quite anxious about whatever he'd dropped.

"What did you drop?" Harry asked.

"Oh it's… it's nothing really. Just a trinket I find during our travels," Mr. Baggins mumbled.

Suddenly, Harry's eyes alit on a flicker of gold in the torchlight. Before he could stop himself his hand lashed out, and scooped it up. He brought the object close, and found himself looking at a simple golden ring.

It was a plain gold band but why did it stir up such fervor inside him? Harry was gripped by the overwhelming desire to never let this ring go, to never let it out of his sight. Something broke inside Harry's skull. Touching the ring unlocked something inside him that had been waiting for him. A voice was whispering in his head to clutch the Ring close, and burn any who dared to try and take it from him. It was the most precious thing he had ever held in his life.

It would make him great.

Those thoughts snapped him out of his current train of thought. He frowned. Why did he need to be great? He already had his father, and his friends. Harry didn't need to be great.

"Can I have it back now?" Mr. Baggins questioned anxiously.

Harry's gaze snapped back to the hobbit.

"Right, sorry, Mr. Baggins," Harry mumbled.

He looked back down at the palm of his hand where the simple ring sat. Harry willed himself to hand it over. His hand didn't move.

"Harry?" Mr. Baggins frowned.

It was the hardest thing Harry had ever done to move his hand towards the hobbit. Mr. Baggins was quick to snatch the ring from his palm.

"Thank you, Harry," Mr. Baggins quickly tucked the ring away, completely breaking the pull Harry felt towards the ring.

"You're welcome. Sorry it took me a bit, I thought I had my gold lust under control," Harry flashed a quick smile.

"It's no trouble at all," Mr. Baggins assured.

Harry nodded and mumbled an excuse to leave. He was a little shaken by what had happened. For a moment it had felt like someone was actually speaking to him, and more troubling still, the voice had sounded familiar.

For the rest of the day Harry did his best to forget the incident with the ring. It was just a flare up of his own dragon-induced desire for gold. The ring was the first new piece of gold he'd seen in months. It was bound to stir up his gold lust.

However, that night, as he lay down to sleep a shadowy figure, and a fiery eye plagued his dreams. The figure was calling to him, whispering to him in the same voice the ring had spoken to him in. It crooned to him, weaving heavy chains of magic around him, turning his mind sluggish and foggy until he didn't know what was real, and what was a dream. It told him to come to him, and so Harry did.

He flew far and fast over the dark and shadowy land until he reached the ruins of an old fortress. A horde of orcs was marching from the ruins but they all froze when Harry circled overhead. He paid them no mind, he had another destination in mind. Harry dropped down into the courtyard where the shadowed figure waited for him.

"Finally, you are returned to me," the shadow man spoke in the grating tongue of Black Speech.

Harry didn't speak. He couldn't speak even though a part of him was starting to wake up, to realize that this may be more than just a dream.

"I had so much planned for you. All ruined by a mistake," the shadow man hissed as he moved around Harry.

Harry clawed against the fogginess of his own mind. He was waking up but he was still trapped inside himself. His body wasn't his to command anymore. It was worse than being under the Imperius because he was aware of what was happening but he simply had no control over his own body, and Harry could not fight it.

"I needed a vessel strong enough to anchor me to this mortal world until I could find the Ring. You are the grandchild of Ancalagon, the winged firedrake forged by Morgoth himself, one of the few viable vessels who would be able to contain me. Now you are returned to me, and soon I will no longer be formless. I am not nearly as weak as I once was, and using your form will anchor me to this world making me even stronger," the shadow man crooned.

The man made of darkness began to chant. Harry gasped in pain as his body began folding in on itself. Soon he was left panting in his human form, curling into a ball on the rough black stone. The dark magic around him was pressing down on him, making him feel weak and sick to his stomach. But it was also familiar. He'd felt this magic before, felt it as it forced his body to take on a shape that was unnatural to it.

The shadow man had been the one to take him and remake him. The reason Harry hadn't been able to make out his shape in his nightmares was because he didn't have one. The creature didn't actually have a body. He had wanted to use Harry's.

"Once I have the Ring and my own body is restored to me. You can serve me as your grandfather served Morgoth. You will help me bring about the Age of Orc. You will bring fire and death to Middle Earth in my name," the shadow man purred.

A voice rang out through the fortress ruins. The shadow man hissed, and his form scattered into the surrounding shadows. A burst of light swept through the ruins. It washed over Harry, and helped to weaken the hold the dark chains of magic had over him. A second pulse of magic had him sitting up, and shaking off even more of its hold.

For the first time he was really able to grasp that this wasn't a dream. This was real. Somehow the shadow man had controlled his unconscious mind, and brought him here.

"Harry," a voice called.

The wizard, Gandalf made his way into his view. Harry looked up at the wizard.

"Are you all right, child? How did you come to find yourself in such a foul place?" Gandalf questioned in concern.

He pulled out a small cloak that had been tucked into his belt, and wrapped it around Harry's bare shoulders. Harry gripped the cloak tightly.

"Him," Harry pointed behind the gray wizard where the shadows were gathering back into the vague form of a man.

Gandalf whirled around to face the shadow man.

"There is no light, wizard, that can defeat the darkness," the shadow man hissed.

A swell of dark, shadowy magic swarmed towards the old man. The wizard raised his staff and a dome of bright white magic surrounded Harry and the wizard. The wizard couldn't hold it. The shadows were relentless in slamming against the white dome of magic. Harry wanted to help him. But he didn't know any shielding spells, and at the moment he didn't have pants let alone his wand.

The shield shattered. Gandalf was slammed against the stone wall behind them, and pinned there by the dark magic from the shadow man. Harry watched as the shadow man's form caught fire making him glow within the swarm of shadows around him.

"Sauron!" Gandalf cried.

The now named Sauron laughed, his laughter ringing through the ruins of the fortress.

"I have returned, and soon my darkness will spread to all the corners of Middle Earth," Sauron boasted.

"You hold no power here without the Ring," Gandalf glared.

"I don't have it,  _yet_. Soon I will have a body, and I will have Erebor as a stronghold. The dragon Smaug will aid me in this endeavor, and his son will lend me his form. The Kingdom of Angmar shall rise again," Sauron claimed.

"Son?" Gandalf frowned.

"Let me introduce you to Ancal, the son of Smaug, grandson of Ancalagon the Black," Sauron swept a fiery arm towards Harry.

Harry had managed to climb to his feet so at the very least he didn't look like he was cowering on the ground.

"How?" The wizard's bushy gray eyebrows rose in shock.

"Centuries ago I captured him. I used what little power I had collected to mold his dragon form into a suitable vessel for myself. However, I misjudged my strength, and control. Before I could complete the spell, my power weakened the wall between worlds, and Ancal was pulled through to another realm. I had given him up as a lost course of action until recently. I felt his presence when he passed into the realm of the dead, being close to death myself. I was able to locate him in another world and pull him back to this one," Sauron explained.

Gandalf's brows drew into a frown.

Harry's eyes widened. Voldemort killing him had made it possible for Sauron to find him. Why were Dark Lords always after him? Sauron wasn't like Voldemort. The dark wizard had been powerful and the terror of wizarding Britain. But Sauron was different. Harry didn't know a lot about him but he knew enough that Sauron was more powerful than any wizard or witch from Earth even without his body. He was a different sort of being, and he was ancient, even older than Smaug.

Harry was realistic enough to know he couldn't hold a candle to Sauron. But he knew that he wouldn't let Sauron use his body. He had to do something. All of the times he'd faced Voldemort he'd been facing situations far beyond his own abilities. Of course the only way he'd survived was sheer dumb luck, and his reckless bravery. Hopefully that luck had transferred over with him.

The only spells he was capable of performing without his wand were fire spells. If he could distract Sauron maybe Gandalf would be able to break free. Once free the more experienced wizard might be able to find a way to get the two of them out of here.

Harry gathered the well of strength inside him. He was fairly certain he would only have one shot at this before he was completely magically exhausted.

" _Incendio,_ " Harry hissed, and directed every bit of fire inside him surging towards Sauron.

Harry was surprised by the sheer size of the flames that burst from him. The fire blasted towards Sauron like a tidal wave, and completely surrounded him. Harry could only hear Gandalf hit the ground. He didn't dare let his focus waver from the flames he was directing towards the Dark Lord to check on the wizard.

A spear of darkness shot through Harry's flames, and slammed into him. Harry flew through the air, and landed in a heap by Gandalf's feet. The wizard was leaning heavily on his staff as he tried rallying his strength.

"Valiant effort, but your power is nothing compared to mine," Sauron hissed.

"I won't let you use me," Harry snarled, jutting out his chin stubbornly.

"Neither will I," Gandalf moved to stand between Sauron and Harry.

"You can't stand against me either, wizard," Sauron spat.

"I can," a soft, lilting female voice responded.

Harry turned to see an ethereally beautiful woman or rather elf as it turned out due to her pointed ears. She had long flowing golden blonde hair that blended in with her pristine flowing white dress. She stood out, almost glowing amongst the darkness of this oppressing place.

"Lady Galadriel," Gandalf breathed in awe.

Harry remembered her. She had been the one to tell Elrond about Harry. She was the Lady of Lothlorien. He felt hope rise inside his chest.

She threw up her hand, and the entire fortress shuddered. She had broken the dark, oppressive magic that surrounded the fortress. As the magic faded so did the magic holding Harry in his human form.

"You still cannot defeat me alone," Sauron growled.

Harry watched as metal clad ghosts separated themselves from the walls of the fortress.

"I am not alone," Lady Galadriel smiled serenely.

Harry watched as a man dressed in white, with a long white, and a black staff swept into the courtyard. It was easy to guess that he must have been a wizard as well. The other figure that strode into the courtyard was someone Harry knew. Lord Elrond looked fierce in his shining gold armor. He only sent Harry a quick smile before focusing his attention completely on fighting the dark ghosts. Harry was fairly certain they were the infamous Ring Wraiths, mortal kings who were bound to Sauron through the rings of power he had given them.

"Harry, take Gandalf back with you to Erebor. They will need both of you there. An army of Orcs is marching upon it, and your father will be quite distraught once he realizes you are missing. Let's try to avoid such a fate shall we?" Lady Galadriel smiled.

Harry nodded. He knew better than to argue about this. This was not his fight. He would only get in the way, and after all it was Harry that Sauron wanted to turn into his own personal suit.

It was Gandalf who protested, "My lady."

"Go Mithrandir, you are needed elsewhere. You must go," Lady Galadriel insisted.

Harry didn't waste any time and he shifted.

"And Harry will get you there in no time at all. After all how many can say they flew upon a dragon's back," Lady Galadriel smirked before turning her full attention back to Sauron.

Gandalf looked Harry over with incredulity. Harry supposed he shouldn't give the wizard anymore time to think about it, and did to him what he often did to Fili. He grabbed him up by the back of his robes, and deposited him on his shoulders much to the wizard's displeasure.

Harry didn't waste any time waiting around. He launched himself into the air. Gandalf yelped but the wizard kept his seat. Sauron attempted to stop his flight but Lady Galadriel threw up a shining wall of protection between them.

Harry safely made their escape into the air. He climbed high up into the sky putting a good distance between them and Sauron.

"What direction am I going?" Harry asked.

"Follow the light," Gandalf ordered.

An orb of light appeared before Harry. It shot off to the left, and Harry turned to follow. The faster Harry flew the faster the orb zipped ahead of him. Harry could almost pretend he was playing Quidditch, and trying to catch the Snitch. He pushed himself to fly faster than he ever had before.

Soon Harry was able to recognize that they were flying over the Mirkwood. Two hours later, and he was able to catch sight of the Long Lake in the distance. Before long they crossed the lake, and were making their way towards Dale.

"I think it would be best, Harry, that you keep your distance from Dale. It seems occupied at the moment, and a dragon flying over it might cause quite a panic. You can drop me off here if you would be so kind," Gandalf brought up.

"Right," Harry agreed.

He dropped towards the ground, and landed on the shore of the lake.

"Thank you for the swift journey, Harry," Gandalf nodded to him.

"You're welcome," Harry nodded back. "I'm going to go back up to the mountain before my father realizes I'm gone, and comes out to burn Dale and Laketown to the ground... Again."

"A wise decision, I should think," Gandalf smiled.

"Will you talk to the elves and men of Laketown?" Harry questioned. "If there are Orcs coming I don't exactly think it would be the best idea for them to start a fight with the dwarves."

"I wholeheartedly agree. We can't be divided with an army of orcs coming our way. I will see what they want, and do my best to try to dissuade them from attacking the mountain. I assume you and your father are guarding it?"

"We've come to an agreement with the dwarves," Harry nodded.

"Good, we will speak more you and I about what has occurred when the threat of war isn't quite so pressing. I would be interested to hear of your experiences, and I might be able to answer some questions you may still have," Gandalf offered.

"I would like that," Harry agreed.

"It's settled then. Until next we meet," Gandalf smiled, and started off towards Dale.

"Bye," Harry called, and shot back into the air.

He climbed higher into the clouds then he had been flying before. The sun was beginning to peek above the horizon but it was still dark enough for Harry to hide if he went above the clouds.

Harry slipped through the front gates of Erebor. It seemed he had broken out that way in his rush to get to Sauron, and destroyed the barriers he'd worked to put up earlier. He quickly worked to carefully put the barriers back up.

"Harry, you're up early."

Harry whirled to see Oin behind him.

"Yeah, I just wanted to check on the barriers," Harry explained.

"Oh, good lad you are, even if you are dragon," the healer patted his clawed hand and wandered off back down the hallway.

Harry loosed a sigh of relief, and swiftly made his way to his and Smaug's chambers. His sire was still asleep or at least he thought he was.

"Where have you been?" Smaug demanded the moment Harry settled down beside him.

"Promise you won't throw a temper tantrum," Harry commanded.

Smaug narrowed his golden eyes at Harry.

"I promise. Now explain."

Harry told him everything about what had happened to him that night. Smaug was utterly infuriated with himself for not noticing Harry slip out.

"I have failed you again, my son. I let Sauron steal you twice and did nothing to stop you," Smaug hung his head in shame.

"It's not your fault, sire," Harry insisted. "And I'm safe now. Lady Galadriel will take care of Sauron."

"For now. But I don't think even she could completely banish Sauron from the world. Not as long as his Ring remains," Smaug hissed.

Something about a ring flickered across Harry's mind but it was gone in the next moment.

"I won't let him take you a third time," Smaug swore.

Harry nuzzled him, and explained that Gandalf was going to try and talk with the men and elves to stop them from attacking because of the impending orc army.

"This is my chance to rain vengeance down upon the orcs," Smaug grinned, his eyes glowing fiercely.

"We both can," Harry nodded.

"Yes, we can," Smaug agreed.

Harry settled back down into the gold while Smaug went to tell the dwarves about the approaching orc armies so that Harry could rest. He wanted the chance to rest for a bit before the orcs came. Harry had spent the entire night flying, and he needed to rest his muscles if he was going to fight. Harry wasn't afraid of the fighting anymore. He was ready now. He wouldn't allow himself to be taken hostage again.

Smaug woke him with a gentle nudge.

"Negotiations between the elves, men, and dwarves are dissolving quickly. I think we will be needed before the orcs even arrive," Smaug explained.

Harry quickly climbed to his feet, and followed Smaug out to the main entrance. They arrived just in time to watch an army of dwarves appear over the side of the hill. An army of men and elves were already set up in the small valley below Thorin and his Company's perch.

Thorin's cousin, Dain, was the one leading the dwarf army. Harry could only chuckle at the dwarf kindly asking the elves to go sod off. But the elves didn't move an inch. Their leader, who was sitting astride a giant elk, merely smirked as Dain continued to rant despite Gandalf's attempts to ease the tension between everyone by bringing up the impending arrival of the army of orcs. It didn't work, and Thorin had enough when the elf lord insulted his sanity.

"If our army will not persuade you to leave perhaps our new allies will change your mind, elf. After all I know how fond you are of dragon fire," Thorin shouted over the din, a smirk on his face.

The elf lord frowned in confusion, and a flicker of fear flashed through his eyes at the mention of dragon fire.

The newly crowned dwarf king turned to glance at Harry and Smaug where the two them were watching the goings on safely hidden from view. Thorin gave them both a nod to indicate they should reveal themselves. Smaug nodded his assent. The massive red dragon slowly pulled his massive bulk out onto to the ledge. Harry followed him.

The reactions of the armies waiting below were rather comical. There was instant shouting and panic. The elves shifted in perfect synchronization so that their army was one more faced towards the mountain their bows were trained on Smaug and Harry. The dwarves likewise turned to face them if not somewhat less organized and elegant.

Smaug roared causing everyone to instantly fall into instant silence.

"My son and I have aligned ourselves with the dwarves Erebor. To attack them is to attack us. We will defend the mountain against all challengers," Smaug boomed into the silence, following the declaration with a burst of dragon-flame into the sky.

"Our quarrel is not with you or your son, Smaug," the longhaired elf who sat on the elk entreated. His voice shook slightly and his bright blue eyes betrayed his fear as his gaze flickered between Harry and Smaug.

"It is if you seek to take the mountain," Smaug growled, eyes glowing like hellfire.

The elf looked like he would say something else but a loud crack had everyone's attention turning towards the opposite mountain range. Harry's mouth dropped open as huge worms burst out of the hills. They withdrew just as quickly as they had come. A loud command in Black Speech echoed through the valley calling forth an army. From the massive tunnels an army of orcs poured forth to the sounds of a grating horn rebounding throughout the valley.

The dwarf army, lead by Dain, instantly changed their ranks to meet the charging army head on. The elves too shifted their attention to the orcs. The dwarves built a blockade with their bodies and shields while the elves leapt over the dwarves to attack the charging orc army.

"Now is the time my son. We will burn those foul creatures from the back while the dwarves and elves cut them off at the front. Are you ready?" Smaug looked him over.

"Yes," Harry nodded firmly as he looked out over the chaos in front of him. It was a little daunting to see such carnage up close. But in only made Harry more determined that what he was about to do was the right thing.

"Then let us fly," Smaug launched himself into the air.

"Good luck, Harry!" Fili cried.

"You too," Harry nodded back to Fili and Kili.

They were getting ready to go out onto the battlefield to join their fellow dwarves. He hoped his friends would be all right. Harry was determined to protect them, and that meant burning as much of the enemy as he possibly could.

Harry launched himself into the sky to join his father who was sweeping out over the already blood covered battlefield. The orcs were panicking to see the shadows of the two dragons covering the ground. But they didn't attack those in front. They were too many dwarves, elves, and Men mixed in. There would have been too great a chance of burning them along Harry and Smaug split up. Harry went left and Smaug went right. They made their way to the back of the orc army, and only then did they unleash a torrent of flames down upon the putrid creatures.

The orcs screamed and attempted to flee from the flames. But the only place for them to run was straight into the path of the waiting dwarf, elf, and human armies. A loud horn echoed through the valley. From the other side of the valley an even larger force of orcs and trolls was moving to attack the ruins of Dale.

Smaug pulled up higher into the sky, hovering there as he watched the advancing army of trolls and orcs. Harry joined him.

"They seek to divide us. Make us fight on two fronts," Smaug shouted to Harry.

"What should we do?" Harry asked.

He didn't exactly know a lot about military, and he became uneasy when an entire troop of trolls crested the hill. The trolls stopped on the top, and it became obvious that they were carrying catapults. They instantly set themselves up and began firing large rocks at Dale.

"We must take out the trolls and their catapults. We must maneuver around behind them, and destroy them," Smaug commanded.

Harry nodded his understanding, and shot off towards the trolls and their catapults. Remembering his encounter with Tom, Bert, and Bill, Harry knew the trolls would be slightly more difficult opponents than the orcs. Sure, they were certainly slower both intellectually and physically but their hides were thick, and they were strong. There were also at least fifty of them, and they all were loaded with weapons.

Being smaller and faster, he was able to more easily avoid the rocks being tossed their way. It was a good thing considering the large rocks would probably knock Harry out of sky. Smaug on the other hand got hit more than a few times as they attempted to move out of the path of the flying boulders. The rocks were probably not much worse then a few punches to Smaug's tough hide but it was really starting to enrage Smaug.

The large firedrake roared in anger and shot up into the sky. In the next moment he was diving back down at a dizzying speed his back talons extended towards one of the trolls. It reminded Harry of their hunting trips as Smaug snatched up the troll, and shot back up into the air. The troll writhed in Smaug's fierce hold but Smaug only let go in order to fling him into another troll.

Harry attempted to follow his example, and managed to successfully snatch up another of the trolls. Being smaller it was a little harder to hold on to something so large, and he nearly dropped the troll before he could fling it at one of the others. In his moment of exultation at his successful move he wasn't paying attention like he should have been.

"Ancal!" Smaug's cry had Harry twisting but not fast enough.

A boulder slammed into him. He tried to catch himself but he was too close to the ground, and he slammed into the earth. On the bright side, Harry was fairly certain that he crushed a small contingent of orcs. The not so bright side was that Harry was now lying vulnerable on the ground as he attempted to reorient himself.

Orcs swarmed him. Their swords and hammers couldn't pierce his scales but they hurt as they continuously battered against him. Harry roared in pain, panicking as he was surrounded on all sides by the creatures who had once so harmed him as a baby. They leapt on top of him the sheer amount weighing him down and keeping him in a vulnerable position. Fire stirred in his chest and he loosed a burst of flame at the ones near his head, burning them away. He writhed on the ground attempting to remove the horde of orcs from himself.

An enraged roar sliced through the air, and the ground shook as Smaug landed beside them. Harry's father roared again this time sending a great swath of fire over the orcs trying to stab Harry. The orcs shrieked as they were engulfed in dragon fire. Smaug swiped a great claw across Harry's back shredding the now flaming orcs from Harry's back. Harry wasted no time in lurching to his feet.

Despite how sore he was, Harry was able to gather his strength and leap back into the air. Smaug kept him covered by sending a continuous stream of flame at the orcs to ensure they kept their distance. Smaug followed him back into the sky moments later.

"Ancal! Are you all right, my son?" Smaug shouted.

"I'm fine," Harry panted, trying to catalogue his injuries. His pride was wounded and his hide was bruised but he would live.

"Return to the mountain. I will take care of the rest," Smaug assured.

"No, I'm fine. I can fight," Harry argued.

"Ancal…"

"No sire, I'll be fine. I will stick to the sky from now on. Look they need us," Harry nodded towards the ground.

The dwarves were falling back towards the mountain surrounded by orcs while the other half of the orc army had completely overrun the Dale.

"Stick to the sky. Keep your distance," Smaug commanded.

"I will," Harry promised.

"Well, now I have to go and save a city I myself once destroyed," Smaug swooped down towards the city.

Harry swept back towards the mountain. Feeling a bit off kilter by his failure he sharpened his focus, and turned his attention completely towards the battle. He wouldn't allow himself to get distracted again. He may be bigger and more powerful than those they were fighting but they had just proven that their sheer numbers could easily overwhelm him if he was not careful.

Harry released a great burst of flame over the orcs as he flew back towards the mountain. He had just reached the mountain when the Company finally made their appearance by breaking through their own blockade by battering it open with a great golden bell.

"It's about time you got out of that mountain," Harry teased.

"Yes, well I think we did a bit too well fortifying ourselves in there," Kili joked.

"Come! Let us defeat this orc scum!" Thorin shouted, and then added something else in Khuzdul before he started charging right at the orc army.

The dwarves rallied to their king, and Harry soared above them doing his best to remove the trolls and thin the horde of orcs by reigning dragon fire down upon them, and even up the battle as much as possible. He could see Fili and Kili in the midst of things, and was glad to see that they were more than capable of taking care of themselves. Harry returned his attention to burning as many orcs as he could. When he returned his attention to his friends Harry was shocked to see Kili, Fili, and some of the other members from the Company making their way up the frozen river on the backs of some mountain goats.

For a moment he was conflicted about whether or not he should follow them. However, it soon became apparent that the dwarves in front of the mountain entrance had things mostly under control now. Likewise Smaug, the humans, and the elves seemed to be beating back the orcs infesting Dale.

Harry decided to fly north in pursuit of his dwarves. He carefully scanned the seemingly empty ruins of Ravenhill. It was beginning to snow, and the ruins were high enough that they were overcast with clouds making visibility difficult. Harry crested a crumbling stone building just in time to see a large pale orc holding Fili off the side of a broken tower. This orc could only be Azog, the one Fili and Kili had told him about.

Harry recognized the look in the pale orc's eyes. Azog meant to kill Fili. It was like the incident with the dwarf assassin all over again. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion for Harry, and his entire focus was set on getting to Fili as quickly as he could. He had to save him. He would save him.

Harry dove at the pale orc with a speed he had not realized he was capable of. With a precision borne of terror and necessity he snatched Fili right from Azog's grip before surging back into the air. The pale orc snarled in rage at his thwarted plans. But it didn't matter Harry was successful. He'd saved his friend from certain death, and that was all that mattered. Harry gently deposited Fili besides Thorin, Dwalin, and Bilbo in the courtyard of the ruins. Dwalin and Thorin immediately reached over to steady Fili as he stumbled on his feet. Harry wrapped himself around the ruins, looming protectively over his dwarves, and roared a challenge at the pale orc.

Azog snarled and turned back into the depths of the ruined tower with his troop.

"Thank you, Harry," Fili whispered, looking more than a little shaken from his ordeal.

"Anytime," Harry assured, gently nudging the blonde haired dwarf affectionately.

"Fili!" Kili cried as he raced up to them.

The dark haired dwarf flung himself at his older brother, and the two of them embraced fiercely.

"We will celebrate later. But now we must go after Azog. We cannot let that orc filth get away," Thorin snarled.

"We will do it together, uncle," Fili stated fiercely.

"Fili…" Thorin worried.

"No, we must stick together. That's how he got us before. By dividing us. But we can defeat him. Together," Fili argued, unwilling to back down.

"I'll take care of the others," Harry assured.

"We will, you take care of that scum," Dwalin stepped in.

Before further arguments could be made an entire swarm of giant bats swooped over the ruins followed by another pale orc and yet more orcs. There seemed to be an endless supply of them.

"Or well, I'll try," Harry muttered.

He was more than a little overwhelmed by the sheet amount of orcs Azog had managed to accumulate.

"All right then, let us fight. Together," Thorin raised his sword.

Fili, Kili, and Dwalin cheered in Khuzdul. They were ready to fight once more.

"Be safe," Thorin nodded to him.

"You all as well," Harry nodded back, slightly surprised that Thorin would wish him such a thing.

But sincerity shown in the dwarf king's blue eyes, and Harry could only hope that this meant there was hope for them to return to the friendliness that they had once shared.

Harry nodded to the others. They all looked fiercely determined to see their enemies defeated once and for all even Mr. Baggins.

Once more Harry shot up into the sky, soaring high above the ruins in order to locate the swarm of bats. Once he caught sight of them he immediately set after them. They shrieked as he released a torrent of flame at them. He was able to cut through a great deal of them but the remaining few fled towards the battlefield. Harry hoped that Smaug would be able to take care of the ones that managed to get past him. Harry wasn't willing to chase after them not when Fili, Kili, and the others might need him.

With the bats out of the way Harry turned his attention towards the orcs. From his position high above the ruins he had the advantage of seeing yet another orc army marching towards Ravenhill from the north. Harry knew he would have to be the one to stop them. He couldn't let them reach the ruins not while there were so few reinforcements here, and it would be much harder to set them on fire if they were within distance of his dwarves.

Harry checked in on his dwarves on his journey towards the approaching army. Fili and Kili were fighting the pale orc with the metal plate in his head together. Harry thought his name was Bolg, the son of Azog. Thorin was fighting Azog himself, and Dwalin, Bilbo, and the two elves from Laketown were cutting down all the others who had made it into the ruins.

Reassured that his dwarves were doing well for the moment he dove down on the rows of orcs setting them alight. They scattered and tried to flee. But they were trapped. Things became even easier when a troop of giant eagles swooped down to further decimate their ranks. With the eagles came a giant bear who gleefully dropped into the middle of the panicking orcs and began batting them about.

Feeling that the eagles and bear had things well enough hand, Harry turned his attention back to the ruins. It seemed that Fili and Kili had been able to dispatch Bolg. With their opponent destroyed the two brothers had turned to help their uncle in defeating the murderer of their grandfather. Harry watched as together the three heirs of Durin defeated the pale orc.

Azog swung a huge rock on a chain at the three while simultaneously employing the use of a two-pronged sword. But he could not hit all of them. He was surrounded, and outmatched. Fili, Kili, and Thorin moved in perfect tandem to block, strike, and slowly weaken their larger opponent. It was a huge elation to watch as Kili landed a harsh blow to Azog's leg causing the pale orc to fall to one leg. Harry was further thrilled to see Fili slam Azog in the chest making the orc leader fall flat onto his back. And it was a privilege to see Thorin stab Azog through the chest causing the orc to fall back on to the ice with a final, reverberating thud never to get up again.

Harry roared.

Kili cheered.

Fili smiled.

And Thorin's eyes were shining with the triumph of his victory over his hated foe.

With the defeat of the orcs' leader, and all of their reinforcements the battle came to swift and easy defeat. It was almost a little jarring how quickly the battle ended once Azog was dead. But then Harry had seen it with the Death Eaters once Voldemort had been destroyed. Without anyone telling them what to do they had been practically useless.

Harry along with the dwarves, and Mr. Baggins settled on Ravenhill and looked out over the valley to rest. The dwarves, elves, and Men below were likewise victorious. They were piling up the bodies of the dead orcs, and Smaug was gleefully setting them alight once he'd reassured himself of Harry's survival.

"We won," Thorin looked stunned to be uttering those words.

"We did," Fili grinned despite his fatigue.

"We won!" Kili cheered, punching the air.

Thorin threw his arms around both of his nephews, holding them close, and looking happier than Harry had ever seen him. Dwalin was laughing, and Mr. Baggins was smiling. All of them were a little worse for the wear but none of that mattered in the face of their victory.

Harry was exhausted and sore, and he wanted to go curl up in the piles of gold and sleep for a week. But he was elated. They had won the day despite the odds, and Harry had been a part of that win.

He'd fought in actual battle, and all of his friends and family had survived. Harry had escaped the Dark Lord who had attempted to use his body for his own. He was safe for the time being, and he had home here in Middle Earth, in Erebor with father and his friends. The question was did he want to stay?

Harry shook off the thought. He'd just had one of the longest nights and days of his life. He wasn't in any sort of state to make such a decision at the moment. That was a decision for another time. For now it was time to celebrate. This battle had brought everyone together. Many lives had been lost but now they could all work together to rebuild.

Harry was looking forward to being a part of that rebuilding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the majority of this has been sitting in my laptop for almost two years now. It's been sitting there because this was not where I intended on ending this chapter but I found myself unable to continue writing due to real life issues. I really wanted to finish the entire story in this part but as I mentioned above life has kept me from being able or having the will to actually write anything. But I've recently had some time to review some of my stories, and I've had this part laying around for a while except for the last 1,000 words or so. I did end up writing that part more recently but it was very difficult for me to do that, and therefore it might seem a little rushed. But I thought all of you deserved to at least read the parts I had written with some sort of closure.
> 
> Don't read past this section if you don't want spoilers. It's not a lot but I will give you a brief idea of what I had for the ending in the event I can't get around to finishing this.
> 
> SPOILERS
> 
> I can make no promises that there will be another chapter although the ending I had planned involved Sirius, Remus, Hermione, and Ron finding their way to Middle Earth, and Harry eventually deciding to remain in Middle Earth with the occasional visits to England. He would have continued to live in Erebor with Smaug, and the dwarves. Dis would eventually join them and Bilbo would visit often. I've also always wanted to write a sequel to this as well which would involve what would happen in dragon Harry had been around for the Lord of the Rings. As he definitely wouldn't be able to keep his nose out of trouble.
> 
> END SPOILERS
> 
> Anyway thank you all so much for your continued love of this story, and I will honestly try to write the conclusion it just might not get done anytime soon because as we all know real life has to come first.


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